Blinken no-shows House hearing with him as sole witness on Afghanistan withdrawal, sends letter

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will skip Tuesday morning's GOP-led House hearing on the Biden administration's chaotic final withdrawal of U.S. military troops in Afghanistan in August 2021.

The county's top diplomat instead sent a five-page letter to the House Foreign Affairs Committee is which he explains why he will not attend the panel's hearing, largely citing his decision to attend the United Nations General Assembly gathering this week in New York City.

The hearing is titled, "An Assessment of the State Department’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan by America’s Top Diplomat."

Thirteen U.S. service members were killed Aug. 26, 2021, in a terror attack during the final week of the withdrawal.

In the letter, dated Sunday and obtained by Politico and other news outlets, Blinken wrote, "The events of this week were scheduled many months ago, and the dates of the General Assembly's high-level week have long been publicly noticed."

Blinken also argued in the letter, addressed to committee Chairman Rep. Mike McCaul, a Texas Republican, that "U.S. representation at the highest levels in these engagements is essential” and said he's open to testifying after he returns from his diplomatic travels.

However, the offer to reschedule did not appear to satisfy McCaul, who on Monday released a contempt resolution report referring to subpoenas earlier this month "compelling his appearance on a date the secretary stated he would be in the United States."

The committee’s Sept. 18 subpoena "superseded" a Sept. 3 subpoena served on Blinken "as an accommodation to the secretary’s travel schedule, compelling his appearance on a date the secretary stated he would be in the United States," read the report. "Despite repeated warnings and accommodations, Secretary Blinken refused to appear to provide his testimony before the committee. Accordingly, Secretary Blinken has violated federal law, and must be held in contempt of Congress."

Blinken is poised to become the third Biden Cabinet member to be sanctioned this year by House Republicans. They impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in February and in June held Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt.