On Wednesday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) renewed his oversight request regarding the “chaotic and deadly evacuation from Afghanistan” in August 2021 with the US Department of State.
“It is absurd and disgraceful that the Biden administration has repeatedly denied our longstanding oversight requests and continues to withhold information related to the withdrawal,” he said in a statement, adding that the Committee “will pursue this investigation until all our questions are answered and all parties responsible are held accountable.”
US Republicans launch probe into chaotic exit from Afghanistan.
— Sandeep Panwar (@tweet_sandeep) January 15, 2023
THE LETTER
In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, McCaul wrote that past requests for the said documents went “unanswered for well over a year.” Calling it “imperative” on the part of the State Department to provide complete responses, he asserted that “the Committee will not tolerate continued delay.”
“In the event of noncompliance, the Committee will use the authorities available to it to enforce these requests as necessary, including through compulsory process,” he underscored.
QUESTIONS RAISED
In the 10-page letter, McCaul demanded a record of all interagency meetings conducted regarding the Afghanistan evacuation and information on all meetings with the Taliban since 1 January and 20 January, 2021, respectively. He added that the Republicans were looking forward to investigating the aftermath of the withdrawal.
The letter included questions such as, “What are the Administration’s intentions for rescinding and/or reprogramming foreign assistance in Afghanistan?” “What is the US Government’s current relationship with the Taliban?” and “What negotiations has the Biden Administration conducted with the Taliban prior to, during, and after the Afghanistan withdrawal?”
CHM @RepMcCaul on signing his Afghanistan oversight letter: “As Chairman, getting answers on the catastrophic Afghanistan withdrawal is a top priority for me – I renewed my oversight requests b/c the American people deserve to know why this was such a deadly & chaotic disaster.” pic.twitter.com/ygyxn2ngJ1
— House Foreign Affairs GOP (@HouseForeignGOP) January 14, 2023
PRIOR REQUESTS
The Republicans sent three requests to the State Department last year; however, McCaul was in the minority, and the department did not comply with the requests. Nonetheless, the Republicans released a report despite the lack of available documents or interviews with the State Department officials.
STATE DEPARTMENT’S RESPONSE
Although State Department spokesperson Ned Price affirmed that McCaul and Blinken had a “constructive” meeting earlier last week, he did not directly answer whether the Department would comply with the request.
“We believe in the utility, in the necessity of each of those functions, and we look forward to continuing our engagement with this Congress on those areas that are of interest to them and that most importantly are of priority to the American people,” Price stressed.