House panel votes to hold Blinken in contempt
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images
House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans voted to recommend Secretary of State Antony Blinken be held in contempt of Congress on Tuesday after he was a no-show to testify about the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
Why it matters: The contempt resolution, which passed on a 26-25 party-line vote, marks the latest clash between Biden administration officials and House Republicans.
- "Secretary Blinken's refusal to comply with the Committee's subpoena — despite months of notice and offers of accommodations — warrants contempt," the resolution states.
- Blinken — who is in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly — wrote Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) on Sunday saying he was "willing to testify" and had offered "several reasonable" alternative dates.
What he's saying: McCaul argued that Blinken has been provided ample opportunity to appear before the panel, accusing him of stonewalling the committee's probe by refusing to testify.
- "Let the record reflect that for four months, I patiently asked for and waited on his availability in September," the Texas Republican said during Tuesday's hearing where Blinken was scheduled to testify.
- "But instead of working with me, Secretary Blinken made false promises and accused me of politicizing this important issue."
- McCaul first subpoenaed Blinken on Sept. 3, with a Sept. 18 subpoena superseding the original.
The other side: "As I have made clear, I am willing to testify and have offered several reasonable alternatives to the dates unilaterally demanded by the Committee during which I am carrying out the President's important foreign policy objectives," Blinken wrote.
Zoom out: House Republicans voted in June to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt, but the Department of Justice ultimately did not prosecute him.
- And former Trump adviser Steve Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison in 2022 after he was found guilty of unlawfully defying a subpoena that was issued by the panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The big picture: Foreign Affairs Republicans this month issued a sweeping report on the widely criticized August 2021 evacuation.
- But McCaul has stressed that the committee is still seeking additional information.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
