US Congress Subpoenas Blinken Over Afghanistan Withdrawal

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Facts

  • On Tuesday, US Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to testify before Congress about the US' 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.[1]
  • In a letter, McCaul wrote that the committee wants to hear from Blinken as part of its effort to draft 'potential legislation aimed at helping prevent the catastrophic mistakes of the withdrawal.'[1]
  • This comes as McCaul is scheduled to release his committee's report about what it found during a three-year investigation of the withdrawal on Sept. 9.[2]
  • McCaul is seeking Blinken's testimony at a hearing on Sept. 19, saying that failure to comply could see him face contempt charges.[3]
  • Though State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken has already testified on this topic 'more than 14 times' and provided 'nearly 20,000 pages of Department records,' he said Blinken is willing to testify on an alternative date.[4]
  • The US withdrawal left thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies stranded in Afghanistan, and 13 US service members and at least 170 Afghans were killed in a bombing by ISIS-Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, near the Kabul airport.[5]

Sources: [1]New York Times, [2]CNN, [3]FOX News, [4]NBC and [5]New York Post.

Narratives

  • Right narrative, as provided by Breitbart. The chaotic, lethal extraction of US troops from Afghanistan was a major scandal — in its planning and its execution. In the aftermath of this debacle, Congress has the right to pursue the truth about what happened. The American people, especially those who lost family members during that time, deserve an explanation from Blinken, the president, and anyone with whom Congress wishes to speak.
  • Left narrative, as provided by The Hill. At best, this investigation has the aura of a political witch hunt; at worst, however, it completely disregards the plight of the hundreds of thousands of Afghans who were forced to leave their country in the withdrawal's aftermath. Congress should put similar energy into creating legislation that will help integrate these Afghans into US society, where they are now facing a humanitarian crisis. Congress must show it knows how to look forward, as well as back.