{"id":2345445,"date":"2024-09-24T17:00:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T21:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-foreign-affairs-advances-resolution-holding-blinken-in-contempt-of-congress-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-24T17:01:29","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T21:01:29","slug":"house-foreign-affairs-advances-resolution-holding-blinken-in-contempt-of-congress-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-foreign-affairs-advances-resolution-holding-blinken-in-contempt-of-congress-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"House Foreign Affairs advances resolution holding Blinken in contempt of Congress &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"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\">28<\/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-foreign-affairs-advances-resolution-holding-blinken-in-contempt-of-congress-washington-examiner%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=2345445&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--><p>The House Foreign Affairs Committee has\u200c voted to recommend holding Secretary of \u2064State Antony\u2062 Blinken \u200bin contempt of\u2064 Congress for failing \u200bto appear at\u200b a hearing regarding the \u2064U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The vote, \u200dwhich passed\u200d 26 to 25, was prompted \u200bby \u2063Blinken&#8217;s absence due to travel\u200c commitments, despite receiving a subpoena to testify\u200d about the withdrawal&#8217;s failures that resulted \u2064in the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemen and nearly 200\u2064 Afghans.\u2064 Republican members of the committee accused Democrats of\u200d neglecting the\u2063 investigation\u2063 during their majority and insisted on accountability\u200d from Blinken, while Democrats countered that the contempt resolution\u200d was politically motivated, especially with the upcoming 2024 elections. <\/p>\n<p>During the hearings, lawmakers\u2064 expressed differing views; some Republicans emphasized \u200cthe importance of continuous inquiries to get\u200b answers for the public,\u200c while some Democrats pointed out the timing of the hearing and the perception\u2063 of politicization surrounding it. Blinken and\u2062 the State Department defended their cooperation with the committee,\u200c expressing disappointment over the contempt\u2064 motion. The resolution\u200b is expected to \u2062move to\u2064 a full House vote soon.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">House Foreign Affairs advances resolution holding Blinken in contempt of Congress<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1765895\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-foreign-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>House Foreign Affairs<\/a> Committee voted on Tuesday to recommend the full chamber hold Secretary of State <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antony-blinken\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Antony Blinken<\/a> in contempt of Congress for not appearing before the committee to testify on the failures of the U.S. withdrawal of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Afghanistan<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The committee voted 26 to 25 to hold Blinken in contempt for ignoring a subpoena sent last week to appear before a hearing on the preparation failures and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-afghanistan-withdrawal-report-highlights-biden-harris-failures-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"House Afghanistan withdrawal report highlights Biden-Harris failures - Washington Examiner\">department-level mistakes<\/a> that led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and nearly 200 Afghans in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>With Blinken a no-show at the hearing due to his travel schedule in his capacity as secretary of state, the committee held a markup to hold him in contempt. The resolution will now be scheduled to head to the House for a full vote.<\/p>\n<p>During the hearing, Democrats argued that Republicans were using the contempt resolution and the hearing in general as a political ploy ahead of a contentious 2024 election. Republicans rebutted and said Democrats neglected for years to investigate the withdrawal when they held the majority and argued Blinken&rsquo;s absence is political and either &ldquo;willful neglect or cowardice.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care &hellip; how many times Tony Blinken has to inconvenience himself to come before the people&rsquo;s representatives,&rdquo; Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) said during the hearing. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care if it&rsquo;s once, twice, 10 times, 15 times, until we get some answers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You know, what&rsquo;s political? Inaction can be political, too,&rdquo; Waltz added. &ldquo;And the inaction, ranking member [Gregory] Meeks, of this committee in the years after the withdrawal is also political&hellip;Antony Blinken saying, &lsquo;Well, I&rsquo;ll come after the election,&rsquo; that&rsquo;s also political. You know what our elections drive? Our elections drive accountability. The American people get a vote for this disgrace.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The hearing comes two weeks after the Foreign Affairs GOP majority <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3146525\/house-foreign-affairs-afghanistan-withdrawal-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>released a lengthy report<\/a> laying out several breakdowns of security and communication that led to the controversial withdrawal. McCaul argued in a statement that the report was &ldquo;not about politics to me&hellip; but about getting to the bottom of what happened.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) said &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t question&rdquo; McCaul or House Republicans&rsquo; intent for the investigation and hearing, but argued that holding a hearing 42 days before an election gives off a bad &ldquo;perception&rdquo; and ultimately does not give any answers to U.S. Gold Star families.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think what went on in Afghanistan is one of the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sasse-reintroduces-infant-protection-bill\/\" title=\"Sasse Reintroduces Infant Protection Bill\">important things<\/a> that we can find out to make sure that it doesn&rsquo;t happen again,&rdquo; Moskowitz said. &ldquo;Tell the speaker to cancel recess. Let&rsquo;s have more hearings on Afghanistan&hellip;this Congress has had more hearings on gas stoves and refrigerators and ceiling fans and blenders than they&rsquo;ve had on Afghanistan. And that&rsquo;s not the chairman&rsquo;s fault, but that&rsquo;s this Congress.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We owe that to the Gold Star families,&rdquo; Moskowitz added. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;re doing it 42 days before the election? All of the sudden?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Blinken and the State Department have argued the secretary has been fully cooperative with the House committee. In a letter sent ahead of the hearing, he said he was &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blinken-sends-defensive-letter-to-house-committee-subpoenaing-him-and-threatening-contempt-report-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Blinken sends defensive letter to House committee subpoenaing him and threatening contempt: Report - Washington Examiner\">profoundly disappointed&#038;rdquo<\/a>; with Chairman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michael-mccaul\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michael McCaul&nbsp;<\/a>(R-TX) due to his nonaccommodating stance on his travel schedule.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As I have made clear, I am willing to testify and have offered several reasonable alternatives to the dates unilaterally demanded by the Committee during which I am carrying out the President&rsquo;s important foreign policy objectives,&rdquo; Blinken wrote.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Republicans are pursuing other resolutions to condemn the Afghanistan withdrawal. House members will vote this week on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3162922\/house-resolution-condemning-biden-officials-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>resolution to condemn<\/a> Biden administration officials, including Blinken, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and others involved in the decision to pull out of the Middle East. <\/p>\n<p>The legislation ensures &ldquo;accountability for key officials in the Biden-Harris administration responsible for decisionmaking and execution failures throughout the withdrawal from Afghanistan.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1765895\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1765895\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted on Tuesday to suggest that the entire House hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress for failing to appear and testify regarding the shortcomings of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The vote was 26 to 25, with members citing Blinken&#8217;s disregard for a subpoena issued last week, which called for his presence at a hearing focused on the preparation failures and departmental errors that resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and nearly 200 Afghans in 2021. Blinken did not attend due to his travel commitments as Secretary of State, prompting the committee to proceed with a markup aimed at holding him in contempt. This resolution will now be scheduled for a full House vote.<\/p>\n<p>During the hearing, Democrats contended that Republicans were leveraging this contempt resolution and hearing as a political maneuver ahead of the contentious 2024 elections. In response, Republicans argued that Democrats had neglected investigations into the withdrawal while they held majority power and claimed Blinken&#8217;s absence was either &#8220;willful neglect or cowardice.&#8221; Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) emphasized during discussions that he expected Blinken to appear before Congress multiple times until satisfactory answers were provided.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) acknowledged he did not doubt Republican intentions but expressed concern about holding such hearings just weeks before an election, suggesting it could create negative perceptions without providing clarity for Gold Star families affected by these events.<\/p>\n<p>Blinken and his department have maintained their cooperation with Congress; prior to the hearing, he expressed disappointment over Chairman Michael McCaul\u2019s rigid stance regarding scheduling conflicts due to his foreign policy duties.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Republicans are pursuing further resolutions condemning officials from Biden&#8217;s administration involved in decisions related to Afghanistan\u2019s withdrawal, aiming for accountability concerning perceived failures during this process<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2345446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ap-antony-blinken-state-department-091024.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[4636,41633,41632,5421,32076],"class_list":["post-2345445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-blinken","tag-contempt-of-congress","tag-house-foreign-affairs","tag-resolution","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ap-antony-blinken-state-department-091024.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345445","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\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2345445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345445\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2345446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2345445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2345445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2345445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}