The Republican chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee threatened Secretary of State Antony Blinken with contempt of Congress if he does not comply with a subpoena seeking a classified cable related to the August 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In a letter to Blinken dated Friday and released on Monday, Representative Michael McCaul said information that has been provided about a "dissent channel" cable sent in July 2021 and the department's response to the cable were insufficient to satisfy the committee.
The committee issued a subpoena in March seeking the information.
The "dissent channel" allows State Department officials to communicate directly with senior officials. A Wall Street Journal article in August 2021 said the cable warned top officials of the potential collapse of Kabul soon after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
The State Department has said some information can only be shared with senior officials to protect the identity of those using the dissent channel.
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