House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul is asking Secretary of State Antony Blinken to comply by Wednesday with previous requests to produce requested documents pertaining to the Biden administration’s "catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan" or a subpoena will be issued.
Blinken is scheduled to testify before the committee on Thursday.
On August 26, 2021, in the final days of the United States' final military withdraw from Afghanistan, 13 U.S. service members were killed in a terror attack.
According to McCaul's office, the chairman on January 12 sent a "comprehensive document request on the chaotic and deadly withdrawal" that built upon an August 2021 request.
The office said that on March 3 the chairman sent a follow-up letter regarding the State Department’s "ongoing failure to comply with the committee’s requests."
On Tuesday, McCaul's office said the letter also demanded the "immediate production" of three specific priority items and made clear that if the department failed to comply, the committee would proceed with compulsory process.
His office also said that on March 12th, McCaul stated that he was prepared to issue a subpoena if the department failed to produce these requested documents in advance of Secretary Blinken’s testimony Thursday before the committee.
The most recent letter asks for:
The Dissent Channel cable reportedly sent on July 13, 2021 by 23 State Department officials and the department’s response to it.
A current draft of the After-Action Report for the August 2021 withdraw prepared under Ambassador Daniel Smith.
Two iterations of U.S. Embassy Kabul’s Emergency Action Plan (EAP), including "the one in existence on January 1, 2021, and the final iteration of the plan before the Embassy’s closure."
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