US congressional committee subpoenas Blinken over Afghanistan

The US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, saying he had refused to appear before the panel to testify on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

In a letter about the subpoena, Chairman Michael McCaul said Blinken must appear before the committee on September 19 or face contempt charges, the committee said.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken was not currently available to testify on the dates proposed by the committee, but has proposed "reasonable alternatives" to comply with McCaul's request for a public hearing.

"It is disappointing that instead of continuing to engage with the Department in good faith, the Committee instead has issued yet another unnecessary subpoena," Miller said in a statement.

He said Blinken had testified before Congress on Afghanistan more than 14 times, including four times before McCaul's committee. He also said State has provided the committee with nearly 20,000 pages of department records, multiple high-level briefings and transcribed interviews.

In May, McCaul asked Blinken to appear at a hearing in September on the committee's report on its investigation of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In his letter to Blinken, the Republican committee chairman said current and former State Department officials confirmed that Blinken was "the final decision maker" on the withdrawal and evacuation.

"You are therefore in a position to inform the Committee’s consideration of potential legislation aimed at helping prevent the catastrophic mistakes of the withdrawal, including potential reforms to the Department’s legislative authorisation,” McCaul wrote.

The subpoena from McCaul's committee, which has been investigating the deadly and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan for years, comes as events surrounding the pullback become an increasingly politicised issue ahead of the November 5 elections.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, visited Arlington National Cemetery late last month and took part in a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the 13 service members killed during the US withdrawal.

He also visited Section 60 of the cemetery, where troops are buried and which is considered hallowed ground in the military.

Federal law and Pentagon policies do not allow political activities in that section of the cemetery, but videos were taken by Trump's campaign and used in advertisements.

During a speech in Pennsylvania on Friday, Trump said families of service members who died in Afghanistan had asked him to go to the cemetery.