House Committee Votes to Hold Blinken in Contempt

Improve the News Foundation -
0:00
/1861

Facts

  • By a party-line vote, the Republican-majority US House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday advanced a recommendation to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress for not testifying as part of the investigation of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.[1]
  • The 26-25 vote makes the resolution eligible for a vote by the full House, but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said it likely won't be considered until after the Nov. 5 presidential election.[2]
  • There was disagreement over whether Blinken had sufficiently responded to the committee's request for him to appear. Blinken in a letter said he tried to accommodate the committee and offered alternate witnesses.[3]
  • Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the committee's chair, accused Blinken of 'ignoring countless requests for his testimony' about the 2021 withdrawal. The committee's 29-page contempt report accused Blinken of a 'pattern of obstruction.'[4]
  • If Blinken is held in contempt, he will be referred to the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) for criminal charges. Previously, the House has voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt (the DOJ declined to prosecute him) and to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (the Democrat-majority Senate dismissed the case).[5]

Sources: [1]New York Times, [2]Associated Press, [3]Reuters.com, [4]Roll Call and [5]FOX News.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. Blinken has left the committee no choice but to recommend he be held in contempt after turning down a multitude of opportunities to appear before Congress. Instead, he has ducked the opportunity to explain to the American people how the current Democratic administration and State Department failed to cleanly exit Afghanistan. The administration has opted to not fire anyone over this debacle, so it's up to Republicans in Congress to hold people accountable.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. Weeks before the presidential election, Republicans are pulling more political maneuvers to exploit the tragic pullout from Afghanistan in an attempt to make Democrats look incompetent. There's no reason for this committee to recommend any action against Blinken since he's willing to testify and has already done so 14 times, including four times before the committee. Republicans should negotiate with Blinken in good faith.

Predictions