Blinken Fails Again to Comply With Congressional Subpoena to Produce Cable From Afghan Withdrawal

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a press conference at the State Department in Washington on April 11, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has failed again to comply with a congressional subpoena, which required the State Department to hand over by May 1 a dissent cable from the time of the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, The Epoch Times has learned.

This is the second time the State Department has failed to comply with a subpoena over the matter, the first happening on April 20. After that, the deadline was extended to May 1.

McLaurine Pinover, the deputy communications director for the Republican side on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which issued the subpoena, told The Epoch Times that the State Department has not sent over the cable.

During the May 1 State Department press briefing, in response to a question from The Epoch Times about the cable, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel echoed what he has said numerous times: the department is open to giving the committee a briefing and written summary about the cable. An April 28 briefing the State Department did with the committee about the cable did not satisfy committee members.

The committee subpoenaed Blinken in March for the cable, which, as The Wall Street Journal first reported, showed the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warning Foggy Bottom about the Taliban quickly gaining ground and the Afghan forces falling apart. They gave suggestions on how to expedite an evacuation and alleviate the situation.

“The cable, dated July 13, also called for the State Department to use tougher language in describing the atrocities being committed by the Taliban,” reported WSJ, citing a person familiar with it. The withdrawal was completed at the end of the following month.

“This committee is empowered by the U.S. Constitution to conduct oversight of the State Department,” said committee chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) in announcing the subpoena on March 28.

“We have made multiple good faith attempts to find common ground so we could see this critical piece of information. Unfortunately, Secretary Blinken has refused to provide the Dissent Cable and his response to the cable, forcing me to issue my first subpoena as chairman of this committee.”

McCaul has requested the cable on multiple occasions.

Blinken told the committee during a March 23 hearing that he would not hand over the cable, citing security and privacy concerns with the State Department’s dissent channel system.

“We continue to believe that our offers can satisfactorily provide the committee with the information it needs to conduct its oversight function while still protecting the dissent channel.”

“It is vital to me that we preserve the integrity of that process and of that channel, that we not take any steps that could have a chilling effect on the willingness of others to come forward in the future, to express dissenting views on the policies that are being pursued,” Blinken said.

He did, however, express a willingness to give the committee “relevant information” from it.

“I hope we can find a way to do it that meets both of our needs,” he said.

It’s yet to be determined what steps McCaul will take. More information will be forthcoming on May 2, said Pinover.