The Biden administration refuses to cooperate with anyone. But now they are being challenged.
And a top Biden official has been slapped with a contempt warning after this shocking move.
In a bold move that reflects the growing frustration with the Biden administration’s disastrous foreign policy, House Republicans are preparing to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress.
At the center of the controversy is the chaotic and deadly U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which not only resulted in the tragic loss of 13 American service members but also left billions of dollars in military hardware in the hands of the Taliban.
Blinken, whose evasiveness and lack of accountability have angered lawmakers, was subpoenaed to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday. However, Committee Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas expected the secretary to skip the hearing, prompting Republicans to prepare a contempt resolution in advance.
The contempt resolution is not just a procedural step — it’s a stark symbol of how the Biden administration, particularly Blinken, has refused to take responsibility for one of the most shameful episodes in recent U.S. history.
Rather than facing the American people and explaining the decisions that led to this debacle, Blinken has chosen to hide behind excuses and delays, all while the consequences of the administration’s actions continue to reverberate across the globe.
The withdrawal from Afghanistan was a catastrophe from start to finish, marked by the deaths of U.S. service members, a humanitarian disaster for the Afghan people, and a significant geopolitical win for the Taliban and America’s adversaries. As the Taliban rapidly gained control of the country in August 2021, images of chaos at Kabul’s airport flooded the media.
Afghans clung to departing aircraft in desperate attempts to escape the impending rule of a brutal regime. The collapse of the Afghan government, which had been supported by American forces for nearly two decades, was stunning in its speed and scale.
But this collapse wasn’t just the result of misfortune — it was the product of reckless policy decisions from the highest levels of the Biden-Harris administration. Republicans, including Chairman McCaul, have long argued that the administration ignored warnings and pushed ahead with the withdrawal, prioritizing optics over security.
This tragic prioritization led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport and left billions of dollars of U.S. military equipment in the hands of the Taliban, including advanced weaponry that could now be used against American interests.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Republicans, conducted an in-depth investigation into the withdrawal and recently released a lengthy report that lays out the administration’s failures in black and white.
The report accuses the Biden administration of ignoring rising risks in Afghanistan, as well as pleas from the Afghan government and objections from NATO allies. Instead of addressing these concerns, the administration decided to unilaterally withdraw, leading to the devastating consequences we witnessed.
“The Biden-Harris administration was determined to withdraw from Afghanistan, with or without the Doha Agreement and no matter the cost,” the report reads. It goes on to say that the administration “ignored the conditions in the Doha Agreement,” and focused more on the optics of withdrawal rather than ensuring the safety of American personnel on the ground.
Despite the clear findings of the report, Secretary Blinken has consistently avoided taking responsibility for the disastrous withdrawal. Blinken’s absence from Tuesday’s hearing is just the latest in a series of evasions that have characterized his tenure.
Chairman McCaul voiced his frustration during the hearing, stating that Blinken’s refusal to testify “violates Article 1 of the Constitution” and undermines Congress’s ability to perform oversight and legislate on what could be the most important issue of the Biden presidency.
“Rather than take accountability for this, the secretary hides from the American people,” McCaul said during the hearing. “He would prefer to hide rather than be before this committee today. The secretary’s willful indifference has brought us to this moment.”
For his part, Blinken has attempted to portray himself as cooperative, issuing a five-page letter over the weekend in which he claimed to be “profoundly disappointed” by efforts to hold him in contempt. Blinken argued that he had offered several alternative dates for testimony, but the committee had been unreasonable in its demands. This excuse rings hollow for many Republicans, who see Blinken’s deflection as yet another example of the Biden administration’s refusal to answer for its failures.
Republicans on the Foreign Affairs Committee have made it clear that they are not going to allow Blinken to escape accountability. The contempt resolution, which was prepared in advance of the hearing, represents a significant escalation in their efforts to hold the administration accountable for the Afghanistan debacle.
Chairman McCaul was somber but resolute as he explained the decision: “I take no joy in moving forward to hold the secretary of state in contempt of Congress. It’s an extraordinary act.” He emphasized that Blinken’s refusal to testify “violates our ability to perform oversight, and it violates our ability to legislate on a hugely important issue – perhaps the most important issue that occurred during this presidency.”
McCaul’s words reflect a broader frustration within the Republican Party and across much of the country. The Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal was a complete and utter failure, and yet, nearly two years later, no one has been held accountable. While the loss of 13 brave U.S. service members is the most tragic aspect of the withdrawal, the consequences go far beyond the immediate loss of life.
By abandoning Afghanistan in the chaotic and reckless manner it did, the Biden administration not only emboldened the Taliban but also signaled to America’s enemies that the U.S. can be pushed out of critical regions without consequence. The failure in Afghanistan has strained relationships with key allies and damaged America’s standing on the world stage. And yet, Secretary Blinken and other key figures in the administration continue to deflect blame and avoid accountability.
If Secretary Blinken and the rest of the Biden-Harris administration continue to stonewall efforts to investigate the Afghanistan withdrawal, they should not be surprised when Republicans use every tool at their disposal to hold them accountable. Holding Blinken in contempt of Congress is just the first step in what will likely be a long and contentious battle to get the answers that the American people deserve.
The Biden administration may want to move on from Afghanistan, but the consequences of its failures there are still very real. Republicans are committed to ensuring that those responsible for this disaster are held accountable, starting with Secretary Blinken.
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