Posted 2/27/2024, 4:13:00 PM
McCaul Threatens Contempt for Blinken Over Withheld Afghanistan Review Notes
- House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul threatening to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress for not providing interview notes used in State Department's After-Action Review of Afghanistan withdrawal
- McCaul accused Blinken of "choosing politics over policy" and stonewalling Congress by withholding documents
- McCaul first requested the interview notes in September 2023 but State cited confidentiality concerns and chilling effect on future reviews
- McCaul says State's reasons for withholding notes are not legally valid and contradict Congress' oversight authority
- Afghanistan After-Action Review was critical of both Trump and Biden administrations for failures leading to chaotic withdrawal in August 2021