WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has agreed to furnish a congressional committee with documents pertaining to the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, averting a potential confrontation over contempt charges.
Representative Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, disclosed on Thursday that the committee had postponed a scheduled meeting where it was set to deliberate on holding Blinken in contempt of Congress for failing to provide the requested documents.
McCaul stated that he had engaged in discussions with Blinken on Wednesday evening, during which Blinken pledged to furnish the requested materials. McCaul emphasized the significance of these documents for the committee’s ongoing investigation into the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Last week, McCaul had announced the committee’s intention to convene on March 7 to consider a resolution recommending Blinken be held in contempt for his refusal to comply with a summons issued by the committee in July.
In response to the development, a spokesperson for the State Department acknowledged the ongoing communication with the House committee and expressed the department’s commitment to resolving the matter.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has been persistently seeking additional information from the State Department regarding the circumstances surrounding the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Critics, including Republicans and some Democrats, contend that a comprehensive account of the operation, which saw the loss of 13 US service members at Kabul’s airport, has yet to be provided.
While the State Department maintains that it has already provided thousands of pages of documents to the committee and facilitated interviews with relevant witnesses, the committee seeks further clarity and transparency regarding the decision-making process and execution of the withdrawal.
