The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee has issued a subpoena to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, demanding his appearance on September 24 to testify about the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
“If Secretary Blinken fails to appear, the chairman will proceed instead with a full committee markup of a report recommending that the U.S. House of Representatives find him in contempt of Congress for violating a duly issued subpoena,” the committee said in a statement on Wednesday.
The committee had initially requested Blinken appear on September 19. However, the State Department indicated earlier this month that Blinken was unavailable on the proposed dates but had offered “reasonable alternatives.” The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest developments.
The Republican-led committee has been investigating the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal for several years, a highly politicized issue that remains a point of contention in Washington. Blinken’s appearance before lawmakers would come just weeks before the November 5 election, intensifying political scrutiny.
According to a State Department spokesperson, Blinken has testified before Congress on Afghanistan more than 14 times, including four times before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The department has also provided nearly 20,000 pages of records, multiple high-level briefings, and transcribed interviews as part of its cooperation with the investigation.
Blinken’s potential appearance before the committee is seen as a pivotal moment in the ongoing probe, which has focused on the chaotic final days of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, culminating in the Taliban’s rapid takeover and the deadly Kabul airport bombing.
