Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) has threatened to place Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress as a result of the probe into the United States’ departure from Afghanistan.
The committee’s investigation began earlier this year, eventually leading to McCaul issuing a subpoena to Blinken for a dissent cable sent by U.S. diplomats in Kabul questioning the Biden administration’s intentions to remove troops in 2021.
“That subpoena, which compels you to produce in unredacted form ’the Dissent Channel cable sent on or about July 13, 2021, reportedly signed by 23 State Department officials and the official response to it,' must be complied with immediately,” McCaul’s letter stated.
“Should you fail to comply, the committee is prepared to take the necessary steps to enforce its subpoena, including holding you in contempt of Congress and/or initiating a civil enforcement proceeding.”
Officials responded to an April 28 question from The Epoch Times about the cable saying the department was open to giving the committee a briefing and written summary.
The Epoch Times pressed the spokesperson further as to whether the State Department planned to provide a version of the cable that redacts confidential material or anything in the document that could compromise sources or methods and whether the department is prepared to fight the subpoena in litigation.
Patel responded, saying, “We are going to continue to engage with Congress appropriately as it relates to their legitimate requests for information and oversight function ... [State] feels like it has sufficiently conveyed appropriate information.”