US Congressman Threatens Blinken With Subpoena to Produce Afghanistan Withdrawal Documents

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, threatening to subpoena him if the State Department does not produce requested documents related to the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

McCaul previously wrote to Blinken on June 8 to warn him that the committee is prepared to pursue a compulsory process if certain materials were not produced by June 15. The State Department produced one priority document by the deadline, but failed to address the other two, McCaul said in the letter, dated June 20.

“As outlined in my previous letter, these documents are critical and material to the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s investigation of the deadly and chaotic withdrawal, including to inform potential legislation and budgetary decisions,” the letter said. “If the [State] Department does not produce these outstanding items by June 26, 2023, I plan to proceed with a subpoena to compel their production.”

The State Department’s most recent reply failed to address requests related to the Afghanistan After-Action Review (AAR) files and the official order initiating a noncombatant evacuation operation, the letter said. The panel’s request for the Afghanistan AAR is longstanding, dating back to January 12, 2023, the letter added.

The letter specifically requests “complete and unredacted” versions of the requested information.

The United States withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, following a rapid takeover of the country by the Taliban (under UN sanctions). The US military led the chaotic evacuation of thousands of people from Afghanistan via the airport in Kabul, where a terrorist attack killed 13 US troops and 170 Afghans.

In April, Blinken said that more could and should have been done by the US government to prepare for the fall of Kabul.