McCaul threatens to hold Blinken in contempt of Congress for ‘withholding’ key Afghanistan documents

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House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, is threatening to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress, accusing him of failing to hand over key documents related to the U.S.’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

At the heart of the issue are interview notes that were used to put together the State Department’s After-Action Review (AAR) of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

"The Committee’s patience has been exhausted, and it requires these files to complete its investigation and make legislative recommendations for this Congress to consider," McCaul wrote.

"Should the Department fail to produce the… files outlined below by March 6, 2024, the Committee is prepared to hold you in contempt of Congress."

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He also accused Blinken of choosing "politics over policy" with the State Department’s decision to "withhold" the documents.

It’s notably harsh language for McCaul, whose relationship with Blinken is relatively more cordial than that of other House Republican committee chairs investigating the Biden administration.

In his letter, he noted multiple instances in which McCaul accused the department of stonewalling, including after he first requested notes from interviews