US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has agreed to testify publicly at a House of Representatives committee hearing regarding the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. After lengthy negotiations with the Republican-led committee, the panel confirmed this decision on Tuesday.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul announced that Blinken would attend a public hearing on December 11 to discuss the committee’s findings from its investigation into the withdrawal that took place three years ago.
The committee and the State Department have been at odds over Blinken’s testimony for months. In September, panel Republicans voted to recommend holding Blinken in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena.
Blinken to appear at Afghanistan withdrawal hearing, top Republican says https://t.co/YErctCpEEy
— The Hill (@thehill) November 26, 2024The State Department has provided the panel with extensive documentation, highlighting Blinken’s 14 prior testimonies before Congress on Afghanistan, the department’s submission of nearly 20,000 pages of records, and multiple high-level briefings and transcribed interviews.
On September 8, McCaul released a report from the committee Republicans criticizing the Biden administration’s management of the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan.
Blinken To Testify On 'Disastrous' Afghanistan Withdrawal As House Contempt Vote Looms https://t.co/27iJwVdj9N #OAN
— One America News (@OANN) November 26, 2024The withdrawal became a contentious issue in the lead-up to the presidential election on November 5. Critics slammed former President Donald Trump, who won a second term, for using a video filmed at Arlington National Cemetery—where he appeared at a ceremony honouring troops killed in the evacuation—for his campaign. Trump also tried to pin the withdrawal’s failures on Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent.
Democrats contend that Trump, who began the withdrawal process with a 2020 agreement with the Taliban, also bears responsibility for the disorganized end of the war, which occurred less than seven months into Biden’s presidency.
This issue is likely to become even more politicized following Trump’s return to the White House on January 20, where he has promised to fire those responsible for the Afghanistan pullout.
