The State Department criticized House Republicans on Thursday, accusing them of deliberately scheduling hearings when Secretary of State Antony Blinken was unavailable to testify about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, adjusted the hearing date from Thursday to Tuesday, knowing Blinken would be attending the U.N. General Assembly and President Biden’s speech in New York.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated that the department informed the committee well in advance about Blinken’s schedule and implied that the Republicans were not acting in good faith. McCaul argued that the department had rejected multiple requests to schedule Blinken’s testimony in September, warning that Blinken could face contempt of Congress if he fails to appear.
House Republicans, led by McCaul, have been scrutinizing the Biden administration for what they deem a failure in leadership during the chaotic Afghan withdrawal. Former President Trump has also seized on the issue in his political campaigns, attempting to tie it to Vice President Kamala Harris, though investigations have not found her to have significantly influenced the withdrawal decisions.
Blinken has testified on Afghanistan numerous times before, and the State Department expressed readiness for Blinken to testify again if a suitable time can be arranged. The Republicans recently released a critical report blaming the Biden administration for the messy end to the Afghan conflict and downplaying Trump’s involvement in the situation. The report essentially reiterated findings from previous investigations, highlighting failures that span multiple presidential administrations and placing the most blame on Biden and Trump.
McCaul, after leading the GOP investigation, asserted that the Biden administration had the information needed to plan for the collapse of the Afghan government and execute a safe evacuation of U.S. personnel, citizens, and allies. Congressional proceedings on this matter face challenges as the House will be in recess soon until after the upcoming November election.