Blinken subpoenaed amid growing tensions over Afghanistan withdrawal

The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee has escalated its investigation into the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan by issuing a subpoena to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The subpoena, announced on Tuesday, demands Blinken’s testimony on the controversial 2021 pullout, setting up a potential showdown between Congress and the Biden administration.

The committee’s Republican chairman, Michael McCaul, accused Blinken of stonewalling the investigation by refusing to appear voluntarily. In a letter accompanying the subpoena, McCaul warned that Blinken must testify on September 19 or face contempt charges. “You are therefore in a position to inform the Committee’s consideration of potential legislation aimed at helping prevent the catastrophic mistakes of the withdrawal, including potential reforms to the Department’s legislative authorization,” McCaul wrote.

The State Department responded swiftly, with spokesperson Matthew Miller expressing disappointment over what he described as an “unnecessary subpoena.” Miller noted that Blinken had already testified before Congress on Afghanistan over a dozen times, including four appearances before McCaul’s committee. He also pointed out that the State Department had provided nearly 20,000 pages of documents and multiple high-level briefings to the committee.

“It is disappointing that instead of continuing to engage with the Department in good faith, the Committee instead has issued yet another unnecessary subpoena,” Miller stated.

The subpoena comes at a politically charged moment as the events surrounding the Afghanistan withdrawal become a focal point in the lead-up to the November 5 elections. The chaotic evacuation, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers, has been a flashpoint for criticism from Republicans, who argue that the Biden administration mishandled the exit, leading to a humanitarian disaster and a resurgence of the Taliban.

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Adding to the political tension, former President Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee for the 2024 election, has been invoking the Afghanistan withdrawal in his campaign. Late last month, Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery, where he laid a wreath in honor of the 13 servicemembers killed during the evacuation. He also visited Section 60, a revered area of the cemetery where many troops who died in recent conflicts are buried. Trump’s campaign later used footage from the visit in advertisements, despite federal law and Pentagon policies that prohibit political activities in that section of the cemetery.

During a speech in Pennsylvania on Friday, Trump claimed that families of the fallen servicemembers had asked him to visit the cemetery, further intertwining the Afghanistan withdrawal with his campaign narrative.

As McCaul’s committee presses forward with its investigation, Blinken’s testimony could become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over the Afghanistan withdrawal, potentially influencing both legislative outcomes and the broader political landscape as the 2024 elections approach.