The State Department criticized House Republicans on Thursday for issuing a subpoena that would require Secretary of State Antony Blinken to testify on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, accusing lawmakers of deliberately scheduling hearings when Blinken was unavailable.
Representative Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, initially set a hearing for Thursday while Blinken was in Egypt and France. The date was later moved to Tuesday, a day when Blinken will be attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
“They have unilaterally selected a date when we informed them in advance that the secretary would not be available, as he is engaged in important foreign policy meetings,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. He noted that the department had notified the committee weeks in advance of Blinken’s schedule, adding that the move “does not appear to be in good faith.”
McCaul responded by accusing the State Department of being “disingenuous,” claiming it had ignored multiple requests to propose a suitable date for Blinken’s testimony. “If we are forced to hold Secretary Blinken in contempt of Congress, he has no one to blame but himself,” McCaul said in a statement.
The subpoena is part of a broader Republican effort to scrutinize the Biden administration’s handling of the chaotic U.S. exit from Afghanistan in August 2021, when the Taliban rapidly took control of Kabul. GOP lawmakers have repeatedly described the withdrawal as a “stunning failure of leadership.”
Over the past 18 months, McCaul and other House Republicans have sought to hold Biden officials accountable, citing the collapse of Afghan forces as American troops withdrew. Blinken has testified 14 times on Afghanistan, including four appearances before McCaul’s committee.
State Department officials maintain that Blinken is willing to testify again, provided a mutually agreeable date can be arranged. However, with Congress set to go into recess next week until after the November elections, the timing remains uncertain.
Earlier this month, House Republicans released a report on their investigation into the withdrawal, blaming the Biden administration for the chaotic conclusion of America’s longest war. The report minimized former President Donald Trump’s role in the withdrawal, despite his administration’s 2020 deal with the Taliban, which set the stage for the eventual pullout. The evacuation left behind American citizens, Afghan allies, and other vulnerable groups.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration over the withdrawal, making it a central theme of his 2024 campaign. Republicans have also sought to tie the issue to Vice President Kamala Harris, although investigations have not identified any direct involvement by Harris in the decision-making process.
