Blinken set to testify on Afghanistan withdrawal in House amid looming contempt vote
After months of requests and a looming contempt vote, Antony Blinken agreed to testify in front of the GOP controlled House under threat of contempt vote.
FIRST ON FOX: Facing the threat of a contempt of Congress vote, Secretary of State Antony Blinken finally agreed to testify in front of the 118th Congress' House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) on the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal after being sought to do so for months, according to a spokesperson for the committee's GOP majority.
President Biden's Secretary of State is set to appear for a public hearing on Dec. 11, an HFAC majority spokesperson told Fox News Digital. His testimony will take place over three years after the Biden administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Blinken did testify directly after the withdrawal in front of the Democrat-controlled HFAC in September 2021.
Blinken has previously refused to comply with the GOP-led committee's subpoena for testimony in 2024 on the Afghanistan withdrawal.
His initial testimony to the Democrat-controlled committee was not sufficient for Republican HFAC Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas.
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In the recent Blinken contempt report, McCaul noted the 2021 "appearance was prior to an investigation being launched by the Committee, meaning this Committee had yet to conduct any transcribed interviews or document discovery. As a result, the Committee did not have the benefit of its investigative findings to probe Secretary Blinken’s testimony, which contained misleading accounts of the withdrawal and NEO under his leadership."
"After months of good faith efforts that were too often met with stonewalling from the State Department, I’m proud to have secured Secretary Blinken’s appearance before my committee. I trust his testimony will provide some long-overdue accountability and transparency for the American people, our Afghan allies, and our Gold Star families," said McCaul in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"It’s unfortunate the secretary agreed to appear only after my committee advanced contempt proceedings against him. While I wish he had not delayed this crucial appearance until the end of his tenure as head of the State Department, I look forward to hearing his testimony and asking poignant questions to help House Republicans and the next administration ensure nothing like this ever happens again."
Blinken's decision to finally testify came as a floor vote to hold him in contempt of Congress drew closer, with the House Rules Committee expected to soon begin setting terms for a vote on the resolution.
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Per the committee spokesperson, McCaul began seeking Blinken's testimony in May. McCaul's investigation into the withdrawal has spanned three years, but when Republicans were in the minority during the 117th Congress, he had limited oversight capabilities.
During a general hearing on American diplomacy with Blinken in May, McCaul first asked for the secretary to testify in September when the committee's report on its investigation on the Afghanistan withdrawal was set to be released.
Blinken would not commit to do so, telling the chairman, "Well, we can have our teams talk about that Mr. Chairman. Thank you."
The committee spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, in the months following, Blinken was afforded repeated accommodations and received various warnings, but the Department of State (DOS) refused to name a date he would be willing to appear in September. He sought instead for his two deputies to testify, despite the fact that neither of them had been with the department during the withdrawal.
The committee ultimately decided to issue a subpoena for Blinken's testimony in early September. The chairman then moved the date that he was subpoenaed to testify upon learning that Blinken was abroad, in order to ensure his attendance.
But on September 24, Blinken did not report to Congress to testify.
Following his absence, the HFAC voted to recommend that Blinken be held in contempt of Congress for defying the subpoena. The vote was 26 to 25, along party lines.
The committee spokesperson detailed the lengths to which the Republican majority went to work with Blinken to avoid using its subpoena power. According to them, the committee reminded the DOS of the report just before September, when McCaul sought to have Blinken testify. However, the department and Blinken still refused to pick a date during the month.
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On Nov. 7, HFAC majority staff met with leadership from the DOS and informed them about the report recommending Blinken be held in contempt advancing out of the committee. They further relayed that if he still refuses to provide dates to testify in front of the committee that the contempt resolution was prepared to head to the House floor for a vote.
By Nov. 14, the contempt proceedings were noticed for consideration in the rules committee, which is one of the last steps before a House vote can occur. On this same day, the DOS made its first date offering to the committee. The department offered either Dec. 17 or 18, according to the committee spokesperson, but the two dates were in the last week of the session when many representatives will already be gone.
On Nov. 15, the committee countered the DOS with an offer of Dec. 10 or 11. The department ultimately chose the 11th and Blinken accepted, per the committee spokesperson.
The DOS did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.
