House Republicans are pushing to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress and formally denounce other Biden–Harris officials over the disastrous August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. The House Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenaed Blinken on September 3 to appear for testimony this Tuesday, but he did not attend.
Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) adjourned the meeting noting that Blinken was not in attendance and that he would be pursuing charges of contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena. The Foreign Affairs Committee noted in its contempt resolution report, released Monday, that Blinken’s subpoena had been rescheduled once before to accommodate his travel plans.
Contempt of Congress can result in fines up to $100,000 and imprisonment ranging from one month to one year. However, if Congress votes to hold someone in contempt, the Biden-Harris Justice Department (DOJ) must generally decide on prosecution.
The Biden-Harris DOJ most recently used the law against former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon. The Donald J. Trump ally was imprisoned for four months for defying a congressional subpoena demanding he testify at the corrupt January 6 hearings, arguing President Trump had invoked executive privilege.
Blinken played a pivotal role in the retreat from Afghanistan, being the “principal decisionmaker” during the withdrawal. He was also blamed for keeping the U.S. Embassy in Kabul open too long and delaying a Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) request until the Taliban seized the capital.
House Republicans are also considering a resolution to condemn senior Biden regime officials over the withdrawal that led to 13 U.S. service members’ deaths in an Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) suicide bombing on August 26, 2021. The resolution could censure President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, among others.