Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Mike McCaul intends to hold Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress if he does not comply with being hauled in on the Afghanistan withdrawal. McCaul called the withdrawal a catastrophic failure and a disgrace, blaming the State Department for lacking a plan to evacuate Americans and allies while troops were still present to protect them. An extensive 350-page report released by the committee detailed these failures and underscored the need to hold Blinken accountable. Despite subpoenas issued by McCaul, Blinken had previously testified before congressional committees multiple times about the withdrawal.
The State Department brushed off threats from the committee, with spokesperson Vedant Patel suggesting that the majority’s true intentions were not about legislating on Afghanistan policy. While McCaul had requested Blinken’s appearance at a hearing regarding the withdrawal and investigations, the State Department failed to provide a date for his testimony. However, the department emphasized that Blinken had testified before House and Senate committees multiple times on the withdrawal, suggesting that his appearance before the Foreign Affairs Committee would not provide new information. McCaul also expressed his belief that a small contingency of U.S. forces should still remain in Afghanistan.
McCaul raised concerns about the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal, citing the inability to gather intelligence over the horizon in countries like Afghanistan, Russia, China, and Iran. He argued that the administration’s decision not to keep forces in Afghanistan jeopardized national security and emboldened leaders in other nations. Despite claims that Biden’s hands were tied by the Doha agreement negotiated under Trump, the report highlighted how the Taliban failed to adhere to the deal, releasing the U.S. from any obligation to follow suit. The report also accused the State Department of negligence, with Ambassador Ross Wilson allegedly leaving Afghanistan ahead of his staff amid the chaos.
State Department spokesperson Patel defended Ambassador Wilson against allegations of negligence, claiming that the drawdown in Kabul was carried out in accordance with department policy. Patel accused the GOP-led report of emphasizing scandal over substance and distorting the administration’s efforts during the withdrawal. While Patel did not have an exact count of Americans remaining in Afghanistan, he touted the processing of over 18,000 Afghan special immigrant visas for U.S. allies. The report noted that as U.S. military personnel decreased their presence in Afghanistan, the State Department expanded theirs, with Ambassador Wilson allegedly evacuating the country ahead of his staff while reportedly being ill with COVID-19.
Overall, the handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal continues to be a point of contention between lawmakers and the Biden administration. While McCaul and the Foreign Affairs Committee push for further investigation and accountability, the State Department defends its actions and maintains that the withdrawal was carried out appropriately. The divergence in perspectives highlights the complexity and challenges of extricating American forces from long-standing conflicts like Afghanistan, as well as the broader implications for national security and foreign policy. With ongoing congressional hearings and reports shedding light on the decision-making process and execution of the withdrawal, the debate is likely to persist as the U.S. grapples with the aftermath of its involvement in Afghanistan.
