World

House committee recommends contempt charge for Blinken

By AAP Newswire

Sep 25, 2024

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken — The Foreign Affairs Committee has advanced contempt of Congress charges against Antony Blinken. -EPA

The Republican-led US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee have recommended Secretary of State Antony Blinken be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena seeking information about the chaotic 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

The panel voted 26-25 in favour of a committee report recommending that the full House find Blinken in contempt for refusing to comply with its subpoena after he did not appear at a hearing on Tuesday morning on the withdrawal.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the vote.

Blinken, who is in New York for the UN General Assembly, said in a letter to the committee's chairman, Republican Representative Michael McCaul, on Sunday that he had tried to reach an accommodation with the committee on when he would be available to testify and offered alternative witnesses.

The US contempt of Congress statute outlines a process for the House or Senate to refer a non-compliant witness for criminal prosecution. Ultimately, the US Justice Department decides whether to bring criminal charges.

It was not immediately clear when the full House would vote on the committee's recommendation.

Democrats have slammed the report as partisan and narrowly focused on Biden's execution of the withdrawal without taking into account the role former President Trump had in agreeing to exit Afghanistan.

with AP

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press