Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the outgoing chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to testify before the committee about the Biden administration’s withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
“After months of good faith efforts that were too often met with stonewalling from the State Department, I’m proud to have secured Secretary Blinken’s appearance before my committee,” McCaul said in a statement posted by the committee on the social platform X.
“I trust his testimony will provide some long-overdue accountability and transparency for the American people, our Afghan allies, and our Gold Star families,” he added.
Republicans have heavily criticized President Biden and the Pentagon over the removal of troops from Afghanistan since the chaotic and deadly 17-day evacuation was carried out in August 2021, one of the biggest controversies of the administration.
Just days into the withdrawal, the Taliban overtook Kabul, much more quickly than the administration had anticipated. Crowds gathered around Hamid Karzai International Airport, and dramatic images were seen of people falling as they sought to hang on to planes exiting the region.
An estimated 100,000 partners of U.S. government efforts were left behind, a number that swells when taking into account others vulnerable under Taliban rule.
