McCaul Formally Requests First Transcribed Interviews for Afghanistan Withdrawal Investigation
Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul has formally requested the first set of transcribed interviews for the committee’s investigation into the Biden Administration’s chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan. McCaul has requested transcribed interviews of the following people:
- 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; and
- Former Ambassador Daniel Smith, who led the State Department’s After-Action Review of the withdrawal
“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,” wrote Chairman McCaul. “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.”
Chairman McCaul has requested these witnesses contact the committee to arrange for their transcribed interviews by May 22, 2023.
The letter requesting the transcribed interview from former Ambassador Daniel Smith can be found here. The letter requesting the transcribed interview from Jonathan Mennuti, Mark Evans, James DeHart, and Jayne Howell can be found here.
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