The Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to recommend holding Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress for not testifying about the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The panel’s vote advanced the contempt proceedings with a 26 to 25 vote along party lines, setting the stage for a potential formal rebuke of a top Biden administration official by the House.
The big picture: Blinken’s absence from the hearing prompted committee chairman Rep. Michael McCaul to proceed with a markup to begin the formal process of holding Blinken in contempt, accusing him of hiding from the American people and bringing this situation upon himself.
- The State Department called the vote a “naked political exercise masquerading as oversight,” with the spokesperson emphasizing that Blinken had already answered questions about Afghanistan in his 14 previous appearances before Congress.
Driving the news: The committee’s investigation into the Afghanistan withdrawal highlighted a report by the Republican majority accusing the Biden administration of misleading the public about the risks associated with the pullout and prioritizing politics over national security interests.
- During the investigation, the committee conducted interviews with Biden administration officials and reviewed thousands of pages of documents, while Blinken was notably absent from those who testified.
- The Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal was defended by Democratic members of the committee, who argued that the Republican report aimed to avoid facts involving former President Donald Trump’s deal with the Taliban and the conditions set in the Doha Agreement regarding the U.S. forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan.
What they’re saying: “Everything we have seen and heard of Chairman McCaul’s latest partisan report shows that it is based on cherry-picked facts, inaccurate characterizations, and pre-existing biases that have plagued this investigation from the start,” a White House spokesperson said.
- Rep. Jim Costa (D–Fresno) said, “This resolution is nothing but a partisan move that undermines our core principles of bipartisan oversight and accountability. Rather than pursuing the truth, House Republicans are obstructing our ability to govern effectively and transparently.”
