State Secretary Blinken encourages the chairperson of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to rescind the subpoena and justifies the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"I've made it clear that I'm open to testifying and proposed a few practical options for the dates that the Committee insists on, which clash with my carrying out the President's key foreign policy objectives," Blinken penned in a five-page letter on Sunday. He further mentioned that he discussed this matter with McCaul in August and early September and aimed to reach a compromise with the panel.
Blinken asked McCaul to revoke the subpoena, reconsider the contempt proceedings, and engage in a constructive dialogue with the Department to find a suitable compromise.
McCaul is conducting an investigation into the Biden administration's handling of the 2021 deadly evacuation, and he's decided to reveal his concluding report before the presidential election while simultaneously urging Blinken to appear before the committee once more on the same topic.
McCaul's mission to hold the Biden administration accountable for the chaotic withdrawal gained momentum as Trump's 2020 campaign sought to make the evacuation decisions a prominent issue in the final stages before the November election.
McCaul is also attempting to position Vice President Kamala Harris at the heart of the chaos by repeatedly referring to the "Biden-Harris administration" in his committee's report on the withdrawal. Previously, the report only mentioned the Biden administration in the interim report.
In his September 3 phone conversation with McCaul, Blinken informed him that he would not be available on the dates McCaul had announced for his hearing because of his prior commitments. Blinken added that various events planned for this week at the United Nations General Assembly had been scheduled months in advance.
"On September 24 alone – the day you've requested my presence – I will engage in a UN Security Council debate over the Ukraine war, confronting Russian and Chinese foreign ministers. I will also host a leader-level meeting with the U.S.-led Global Coalition to combat synthetic drugs, specifically fentanyl production and trafficking. Alongside President Biden, I will address the General Assembly and participate in a bilateral meeting with the UN Secretary-General Guterres. I will meet with foreign ministers for the Partnership for Global Infrastructure to secure commitments for the Lobito Corridor in Africa, and I will take part in several other bilateral and multilateral engagements," Blinken explained in detail.
Blinken emphasized that the Department has devoted countless hours to fulfilling the Committee's demands as part of its investigation into the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan, including the provision of documents, briefings, and interviews.
Despite Blinken's ongoing involvement in critical political affairs, McCaul persists in demanding his appearance before the committee to discuss the Biden administration's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal. The politics surrounding this matter continue to escalate, with McCaul utilizing his position to hold the Biden administration accountable for the chaotic withdrawal.
