House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) has scheduled a hearing to consider a resolution holding U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress for not turning over documents detailing the August 2021 military withdrawal and civilian evacuation from Afghanistan.
For months, Mr. McCaul has been seeking a variety of State Department records on the Afghanistan evacuation, including specific files that informed the department’s After-Action Review on Afghanistan (AAR). In a Monday letter, the Texas Republican told Mr. Blinken the responses he’d received to date had been inadequate and verged on contempt.
“The Committee’s patience has been exhausted, and it requires these files to complete its investigation and make legislative recommendations for this Congress to consider,” Mr. McCaul’s letter to Mr. Blinken reads. “Should the Department fail to produce the priority AAR files outlined below by March 6, 2024, the Committee is prepared to hold you in contempt of Congress.”…
