WASHINGTON — House Republicans hammered Secretary of State Antony Blinken Thursday over the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, threatening to subpoena a letter that highlighted internal dissent over the episode.
Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the rushed exit from Afghanistan in 2021 a “debacle” and faulted the Biden administration for failing to stop an attack at Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate that killed 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghans, despite intelligence that suggested an attack was looming.
McCaul said at a hearing with Blinken that the top U.S. diplomat has until March 27 to turn over a classified letter known as a dissent cable, dating from before the withdrawal, that highlighted internal concern among State Department staff about a pending takeover by the Taliban and the need for evacuation.
