Blinken subpoenaed by high Republican investigating Biden administration withdrawal from Afghanistan

The Republican chairman of the Home International Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, electronically transmitted a subpoena to the State Division on Tuesday morning for a dissent cable written by US diplomats serving in Afghanistan earlier than the US withdrawal from the nation, in line with a committee aide.

The subpoena might be bodily delivered to the State Division afterward Tuesday, the aide mentioned.

The issuing of the subpoena comes after months of McCaul asking the division for the dissent cable, which his staff views as an important piece of data as they examine the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has advised the committee that he opposed sharing the doc as a result of he was involved about it having a chilling impact on diplomats’ use of the channel, which is a confidential means for them to share issues with high State Division officers.

The frenzied last weeks of the withdrawal, throughout which a suicide bomber attacked the Kabul airport and killed 13 US service members and greater than 100 Afghans, has been underneath immense scrutiny from Republican lawmakers.

The categorised cable was despatched to Blinken in mid-July 2021 warning that swift motion wanted to be taken by the division – similar to rapidly processing and evacuating Afghans who had assisted the US from the nation – as a result of they believed the scenario in Afghanistan might quickly deteriorate they usually feared a disaster.

“We now have made a number of good religion makes an attempt to seek out widespread floor so we might see this essential piece of data. Sadly, Secretary Blinken has refused to supply the Dissent Cable and his response to the cable, forcing me to problem my first subpoena as chairman of this committee,” McCaul mentioned.

However the State Division has resisted the committee’s efforts to get the cable and has not indicated that it’ll swiftly adjust to the subpoena, which might lead to a authorized battle between the 2 sides.

“The Division adopted up with the Committee to reiterate its willingness to supply a briefing concerning the issues raised and the challenges recognized by Embassy Kabul, together with within the dissent channel. The Committee selected as an alternative to problem a subpoena,” mentioned principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel. “The Division stays dedicated to offering the Committee with the knowledge it must conduct its oversight perform, and has already supplied hundreds of pages of paperwork conscious of the Committee’s request.”

McCaul has repeatedly warned that he would problem a subpoena if the State Division did not share what he decided had been three precedence objects: the cable, the after-action report wanting on the withdrawal, and the embassy evacuation plans. Final week, a committee aide mentioned they acquired the final merchandise, and Blinken mentioned that the after-action report could be given to Congress within the coming weeks.