House GOP Foreign Affairs Chairman Requests Transcribed Interviews on Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal
May 5, 2023 - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, has requested transcribed interviews for the Foreign Affairs Committee's investigation into the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. McCaul is requesting interviews with Jonathan Mennuti, Mark Evans, James P. DeHart, Jayne Howell, and former Ambassador Daniel Smith.
According to a press release, all five officials are asked to contact the committee by May 22 to arrange for their transcribed interviews. McCaul said, "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."
McCaul also threatened to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress after failing to comply with a subpoena to turn over a July 2021 cable. The cable reportedly warned top officials of the potential collapse of Kabul soon after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
In April, the White House received criticism from Republican lawmakers after issuing a report on how the Biden administration handled the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The report defended President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021, calling it the "right thing for the country" while shifting blame onto the Trump administration. The report also stated the evacuation should have begun sooner.
The interviews requested by Chairman McCaul are expected to reveal important information critical to uncovering the disastrous consequences of the withdrawal.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee's investigation is ongoing, and the Committee plans to interview additional current and former administration officials involved in the planning and execution of the withdrawal.
We would like to express our gratitude to Rep. McCaul and all those involved in this important development. The NRF stands with all those who seek accountability for the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, and we believe that this investigation is a critical step in that direction.
We will continue to closely monitor these developments and provide updates as they become available. Thank you for your ongoing support.
