Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Latest News

State Department grants access to Biden Afghanistan documents after GOP threatens contempt charge

House Republicans will be able to view documents this week relating to President Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal after months of stonewalling by the State Department.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, will access the documents at the State Department offices this week after threatening to hit Secretary of State Antony Blinken with a contempt of Congress charge. The document, a dissent cable from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, details any misgivings State Department officials there had with Biden’s withdrawal plans.

McCaul had subpoenaed the document multiple times in the early months of this year, but Blinken had failed to provide it. The State Department instead offered a briefing on the document’s contents, a move McCaul accepted while still demanding to see the document itself.

McCaul will visit the department this week to read the document alongside Rep. Greg Meeks, D-N.Y., the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, according to Punchbowl News.

The pair will view the document in full, but the names of those who contributed to the dissent report will be redacted.

Blinken has argued from the beginning that providing access to the dissent report could dissuade State Department employees from being truthful in future dissent reports. The document is meant to be an opportunity for officials to be candid regarding upcoming operations.

Blinken blew past the original subpoena deadline to supply the documents in March, then again in April when McCaul pushed back the deadline. McCaul set his latest line in the sand at May 1, and Blinken again refused to provide the documents.

McCaul threatened to charge Blinken with contempt of Congress as a result. The congressman told Fox News Digital last week that he planned to introduce the contempt charge on May 24.

‘I don’t take this lightly because a Secretary of State’s never been held in contempt by Congress before,’ McCaul told Fox. ‘And I think the secretary realizes that and the gravity. They probably prefer not to go down this route as well. But if they do not comply, we’re prepared to move forward next week with a markup for resolution of contempt.’

Even if passed by the House, the contempt charge would largely have been a symbolic move, as President Biden’s Justice Department would likely decline to prosecute the case.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

    You May Also Like

    Economy

    Boeing’s crew spacecraft Starliner will stay docked with the International Space Station into August, NASA confirmed on Thursday, as the mission remains on hold...

    Editor's Pick

    In this edition of StockCharts TV‘s The Final Bar, Dave shows how breadth conditions have evolved so far in August, highlights the renewed strength in the...

    Stock

    S&P 500 pared back its intraday gain on Wednesday following a Bloomberg report that Royal Group has built a multi-billion-dollar short position in U.S....

    Economy

    A U.S. judge has ruled that former Bed Bath & Beyond investor Ryan Cohen can be sued by investors over a tweet he posted featuring an...

    Disclaimer: Richpeoplenetworks.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.


    Copyright © 2024 Richpeoplenetworks.com