{"id":2028317,"date":"2023-09-11T17:00:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T21:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-gop-seeks-interviews-with-biden-officials-over-afghanistan-withdrawal-statements\/"},"modified":"2023-09-11T17:02:06","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T21:02:06","slug":"house-gop-seeks-interviews-with-biden-officials-over-afghanistan-withdrawal-statements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-gop-seeks-interviews-with-biden-officials-over-afghanistan-withdrawal-statements\/","title":{"rendered":"House GOP wants to interview Biden officials about Afghanistan withdrawal statements."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhouse-gop-seeks-interviews-with-biden-officials-over-afghanistan-withdrawal-statements%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2028317&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>House Republicans \u200bare <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-gop-seeks-interviews-with-biden-officials-over-afghanistan-withdrawal-statements\/\" title=\"House GOP wants to interview Biden officials about Afghanistan withdrawal statements.\">actively pursuing transcribed\u2062 interviews<\/a> with \u200cWhite House press\u2062 officials to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oversight-hearing-on-ufos-will-open-the-floodgates\/\" title=\"UFO oversight hearing to unleash a torrent.\">uncover crucial details<\/a> for their investigation into\u200b the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>House Foreign \u2064Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HouseForeignGOP\/status\/1700993354832773405?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a> CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper on \u200cSept. 10 that, in addition to the nine diplomats the committee had already requested testimony from in late August, they also plan to hear from former White House\u200b press \u2062secretary Jen\u2064 Psaki, National Security Counsel Coordinator for\u200b Strategic Comms\u2064 John Kirby, and\u200c former State Department spokesperson Ned Price.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This \u200cnews comes \u200dshortly after \u200cthe \u200ctwo-year anniversary of \u2063the last soldiers leaving Afghanistan, as the Taliban \u200ctook \u2064control of large sections of the country,\u200d including the \u2062capital Kabul, causing the Western-backed Afghan \u200bgovernment to collapse.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related \u2064Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/how-bidens-afghanistan-fiasco-changed-the-world-5487899\">How Biden\u2019s Afghanistan Fiasco Changed the World<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/8\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/how-bidens-afghanistan-fiasco-changed-the-world-5487899\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/rep-mccaul-seeks-answers-from-9-diplomats-on-the-deadly-afghanistan-withdrawal-5484286\">Rep. McCaul Seeks Answers From 9 Diplomats on the\u2063 Deadly Afghanistan Withdrawal<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/31\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/rep-mccaul-seeks-answers-from-9-diplomats-on-the-deadly-afghanistan-withdrawal-5484286\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Tens of thousands of Afghans were evacuated \u200dthrough Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul; however, on Aug. 26, 2021,\u200b the terrorist group\u2062 ISIS-K carried out a suicide attack, \u200ddetonating a bomb that killed \u200d13 U.S. troops\u200b and dozens of civilians.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about the reasons behind \u200dthe interview requests,\u200b Mr. McCaul explained that\u2063 they wanted to speak to Ms. Psaki because: &#8220;<strong>The messages\u2063 she was sending out from the White \u2062House\u2062 were so different from \u2063what was \u2062happening on the ground.<\/strong>&#8220;<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, the lawmaker asserted that Mr. Price was \u200bmaking &#8220;<strong>rosy comments<\/strong>&#8220;\u2062 from \u200cthe State Department, and Mr. \u200dKirby claimed at \u2064the time \u2064that there were &#8220;<strong>no weapons<\/strong>&#8221; left behind in Afghanistan, a statement Mr. McCaul called &#8220;<strong>insane<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;There were &#8230; $7 billion of weapons, and\u200d I \u2064can show you \u200cthe tapes \u2064of the weapons and the cash that were left behind,&#8221; Mr. McCaul said.<\/p>\n<p>He explained that \u200bhis committee \u2063wanted to know why\u2064 these individuals were &#8220;<strong>all giving a rosy\u2063 picture, while at the \u200csame time \u200dwhat was happening\u2064 on the ground was \u200dvery different.<\/strong>&#8220;<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know\u200d where\u200b this is going to end, Jake, but as a former federal \u2064prosecutor, I&#8217;m going to follow \u200bthe facts.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Previous \u2064Interview \u200cRequests<\/h2>\n<p>On Aug. 30, \u2064Mr. McCaul <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/rep-mccaul-seeks-answers-from-9-diplomats-on-the-deadly-afghanistan-withdrawal-5484286\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">requested<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-reps-call-on-top-biden-admin-officials-to-testify-on-bungled-afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" title=\"GOP Reps Call on Top Biden Admin Officials To Testify on Bungled Afghanistan Withdrawal\">transcribed interviews<\/a> with nine current and former U.S. diplomats, asking that they testify about \u200dtheir roles in the 2021 withdrawal.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The request \u200dwas\u2062 made in\u200d a series of letters\u200d where Mr. McCaul <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignaffairs.house.gov\/press-release\/mccaul-requests-transcribed-interviews-of-state-department-leaders-for-afghanistan-withdrawal-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">identified<\/a> the\u2064 officials,\u200c including Ross L. Wilson, the former\u2064 acting U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Salman Ahmed, \u200bdirector of \u200bpolicy planning, and Brian McKeon, former deputy secretary of state for management and resources.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>\u201cThrough our ongoing investigation,\u2062 we have \u200cdetermined \u2064these individuals\u2062 have important information that is critical to uncovering how and why the\u2063 Biden administration\u2019s withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in a disgraceful surrender to the Taliban, the death of 13 U.S.\u200b servicemembers, and [injury of] 45 more\u2014all which could \u2064have been prevented,\u201d Mr. McCaul <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignaffairs.house.gov\/press-release\/mccaul-requests-transcribed-interviews-of-state-department-leaders-for-afghanistan-withdrawal-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> on Aug. 30.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Republican\u200b chairman investigating\u2063 the\u200b withdrawal, which took place in the\u200b first few months of the Biden administration, \u200dcalled it an \u2063&#8221;<strong>unmitigated disaster of epic proportions<\/strong>&#8221; and \u200dvowed to keep digging into \u2064it &#8220;<strong>until the \u200cAmerican \u200cpeople receive the \u200btransparency and answers they\u200b deserve.<\/strong>&#8220;<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Mr. McCaul provided copies of letters \u200bhe had \u200daddressed \u200bto the four\u200d departing U.S. ambassadors and <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignaffairs.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/8-30-23%20McCaul%20Letter%20to%20Blinken%20-%20Transcribed%20Interviews%5B45%5D.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a letter<\/a> he had sent\u2064 to Secretary\u200b of State Antony Blinken requesting the testimony of the five currently \u200cserving diplomats.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The State \u200dDepartment has maintained that \u200bit has\u2063 cooperated with the\u2063 post-withdrawal inquiries but has not confirmed if Mr. Blinken will \u2063grant some of the Congressional interview requests.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The \u200bdepartment will continue to respond to\u2064 Congressional \u2064oversight requests in a timely manner, including requests for transcribed interviews,&#8221;\u200b a State Department\u2062 spokesperson said in an emailed \u200bstatement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;Already \u2063the department has made \u200bthousands of pages of documents available, along \u200bwith numerous and extensive interviews, briefings, and other informational engagements.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Motivation Behind Investigation<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. McCaul said during his \u2064recent interview that\u2062 he had\u2063 &#8220;<strong>great respect<\/strong>&#8221; for Gen. Kenneth McKenzie and\u2064 Gen. Mark Milley, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-u-s-sending-3000-troops-back-into-afghanistan-amid-rapidly-deteriorating-situation\/\" title=\"BREAKING: U.S. Sending 3,000 Troops Back Into Afghanistan Amid Rapidly Deteriorating Situation\">military leaders thought<\/a> to have had \u2063the\u200c primary control over withdrawal efforts.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>However, he said\u2064 he doesn&#8217;t yet know if any of the key decisions \u200dimpacting the withdrawal &#8220;<strong>actually went up<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House Republicans are seeking transcribed interviews with White House press officials to gather crucial information for their investigation into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) of the House Foreign Affairs Committee stated that, apart from the nine diplomats requested for testimony in August, they are also pursuing interviews with press officials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1843,"featured_media":2028318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2028317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2028317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1843"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2028317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2028317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2028318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2028317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2028317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2028317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}