Republicans postpone contempt of Congress action against Secretary of State Blinken temporarily

The House Foreign Affairs Committee defers detaining Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for contempt of Congress after the State Department agreed to allow committee leadership to see a key document related to the withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

Last week, McCaul told DailyMail.com the committee would move forward with taking legal action against Blinken on May 24 after he passed a mandatory deadline set out in a subpoena to hand over a secret anomalous telegram that employees of the US State Department prior to the attack. The seizure of power by the Taliban on July 13, 2021.

The telegram warned of a “deteriorating” security situation and urged the immediate evacuation of allies, a warning the Biden administration ignored, Republicans say.

However, Blinken missed the deadline of 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 11, prompting Republicans to set a date for the next legal action — marking the first time in U.S. history that a Secretary of State would be detained in contempt of Congress.

But the committee is now postponing the holding of the contempt mark next week after McCaul, R-Texas, and ranking member Gregory Meeks, DN.Y., accepted an invitation from the State Department to view the cable.

“In light of this invitation, I will suspend efforts to enforce the commission’s subpoena pending my review of the documents,” McCaul said Thursday.

“Please note, however, that the subpoena will remain in full force and effect and that acceptance of this amendment will not waive the rights of the committee with respect to the subpoena.”

He also demands that all members of the committee be allowed access to view the dissident cable and the department’s response.

The chairman also called it “interesting” that it would be the “first time in history” that a secretary of state has ever been scorned by Congress.

In August 2021, 13 US military personnel and 170 others were killed near Hamid Karzai International Airport after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device.

In addition, thousands of US citizens and allies of the United States who were unable to evacuate quickly remained in the country after the Taliban quickly took the capital, Kabul.

The committee led by McCaul is looking into the Biden administration’s role in the deadly pullout, which he previously called a “stunning failure” of leadership.

“The American people and the veterans and the Gold Star families are right to know what was the thinking in the embassy at the time to take the extraordinary measure to deviate from policy,” McCaul told DailyMail.com.

He added that he “does not particularly enjoy” pursuing legal proceedings, but it is not a political statement as he is an advocate for veterans and the Gold Star families.

“We also want to see Minister Blinken’s response to the telegram of dissent to see what the state of mind was like a month before the debacle and collapse of Afghanistan, which culminated in the killing of 13 soldiers,” he continued.

His request comes after a subpoena was issued to Blinken on March 28 requesting the “divergent cable,” along with other documents and communications from the Biden administration regarding the pullout.

The department issued a classified briefing on April 27, which Republicans on the committee said fell short of many of the demands they had made.

The State Department has previously criticized McCaul’s move.

“It is regrettable that despite receiving a secret briefing on the dissent cable and a written summary, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is continuing with this unnecessary and unproductive action,” spokesman Vedant Patel said.

“Nevertheless, we will continue to respond to appropriate oversight questions and provide Congress with the information it needs to do its job, while protecting the ability of State Department employees to do theirs,” Patel added in a statement. declaration.

However, McCaul writes in the letter that the information that the State Department passed on to the committee has been “insufficient.”

McCaul writes in the letter that the information the State Department turned over to the committee has been “insufficient”

Hundreds of people gathered at a US Air Force C-17 transport plane at the edge of the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 16, 2021

If Blinken is scorned before Congress, President Biden’s Justice Department would have the option to proceed with legal proceedings — but it is unlikely to take action against him.

Other cabinet-level secretaries who have been held contemptuous of Congress — including Trump-era Attorney General Eric Holder, Bill Barr Obama — but never had a secretary of state in history.

McCaul pushed back the deadline for Blinken to comply with the subpoena several times.

The first deadline was April 1, then April 21, May 1, and finally May 11 after discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.