'Pattern of Obstruction': Blinken No-Shows Hearing on Afghan Withdrawal, Defying Subpoena and Prompting Contempt Resolution the Washington Free Beacon by Adam Kredo 9/24/2024
Antony Blinken failed to attend a Tuesday hearing on the Biden-Harris administration's bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan, defying a congressional subpoena and setting the stage for him to be the first secretary of state ever held in contempt of Congress.
Blinken was mandated under subpoena by the House Foreign Affairs Committee to testify about the botched 2021 evacuation that brought the Taliban back to power and left 13 American service members dead. He was expected to face tough questions about a recently unveiled congressional report detailing how the United States abandoned a "significant amount of classified information," advanced biometric data, and millions in cash when it fled the war-torn country.
Instead, the State Department informed the committee on Monday evening that Blinken would be a no-show, claiming he is too busy with the United Nations General Assembly in New York City to attend, according to sources familiar with the situation.
"The committee received a letter stating the secretary will not come," said one GOP committee source. "He didn’t provide any other dates for this week, claiming he’s busy with events and gatherings at the U.N. General Assembly. Instead, he offered his deputies—neither of whom worked at the State Department throughout 2021 nor the Afghanistan withdrawal."
Blinken’s decision to defy a congressional subpoena angered GOP committee members, including chairman Michael McCaul (R., Texas), who is now pushing a measure to formally hold the secretary of state in contempt of Congress. If approved, Blinken would make history as the first secretary of state to be held in contempt of Congress, a misdemeanor crime punishable by up to $100,000 in fines and potential jail time. The Biden-Harris administration declined to prosecute Attorney General Merrick Garland after the House voted to hold him in contempt of Congress in June.
As the Foreign Affairs Committee gaveled on Tuesday morning, McCaul announced that Blinken chose to "willingly defy this subpoena." The hearing concluded shortly after, with McCaul saying the committee would reconvene today to "begin the formal process of holding the secretary in contempt of Congress." The committee later voted along party lines to advance the resolution, which will now move to the full House.
In an interview with the Free Beacon conducted just before that vote, McCaul said Blinken "probably had pressure put on him to not testify prior to the election."
More:
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/pattern-of-obstruction-blinken-no-shows-hearing-on-afghan-withdrawal-defying-subpoena-and-prompting-contempt-resolution/
