US Lawmaker Says Will Subpoena Blinken If Afghanistan Withdrawal Docs Not Produced Soon

US Lawmaker Says Will Subpoena Blinken if Afghanistan Withdrawal Docs Not Produced Soon

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said on Tuesday that he will subpoena US Secretary of State Antony Blinken if the chief diplomat fails to produce documents related to the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan by Thursday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2023) House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said on Tuesday that he will subpoena US Secretary of State Antony Blinken if the chief diplomat fails to produce documents related to the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan by Thursday.

"On March 3, 2023, I wrote to you regarding the State Department's ongoing failure to comply with the Committee's requests for documents and information concerning the Biden Administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. For the reasons outlined below, it is essential that you produce the items requested in advance of your March 23 testimony before the Committee," McCaul said in a letter to Blinken.

McCaul requested documents including a purported dissent cable sent by State Department officials in July 2021 warning of the rapid expansion of the Taliban's power and potential collapse of US-backed Afghan security forces, an after-action report on the withdrawal and the Kabul embassy's emergency evacuation plan. If Blinken does not provide the documents before 5:00 p.m. EDT (9:00 p.m. GMT) on March 22, the committee will proceed with the compulsory process, the letter said.