GOP Leader Requests Transcripts of Interviews on Chaotic Afghanistan Withdrawal.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee Requests Transcribed Interviews with State Department Officials

Investigating the Biden Administration’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has requested transcribed interviews with five current and former State Department officials regarding the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced his panel’s request for on-the-record interviews in a press release on May 14th.

The Requested Interviews

The committee has requested interviews with the following individuals:

• Jonathan Mennuti, former acting chief of staff to Acting Under Secretary of State for Management Carol Perez
• Mark Evans, former acting deputy assistant secretary for Afghanistan
• James P. DeHart, former lead, Afghanistan Task Force
• Jayne Howell, Bureau of Consular Affairs
• Former Ambassador Daniel Smith, who led the State Department’s after-action review of the withdrawal

Investigating the “Chaotic and Deadly” Withdrawal

The committee has requested these interviews as part of their investigation into what they call the Biden administration’s “chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan.” McCaul stated, “Through our ongoing investigation, we have determined these five individuals have important information that is critical to uncovering how and why the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and the injury of 47 more and in the abandonment of more than a thousand U.S. citizens and hundreds of thousands of our Afghan partners in a country controlled by terrorists.”

Speaking with the Committee Without Delay

McCaul emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “It is crucial they speak with the committee without delay. As we continue to gather evidence, the committee will continue to interview additional current and former administration officials involved in the planning and execution of the withdrawal.”

The State Department has yet to respond to the committee’s request. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.