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Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul joined CBS‘ “Face the Nation” with Margaret Brennan to discuss the committee’s ongoing efforts to get answers from the administration on the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Chairman McCaul announced he is prepared to issue a subpoena if the State Department fails to comply with the committee’s document request ahead of Secretary Blinken’s testimony before the committee. 

WATCH HERE

On the Committee’s Recent Hearing

“This [was] the first open hearing we’ve had on Afghanistan since the fall of Afghanistan. I intend to move forward with this investigation and want what that commanding officer was thinking when he denied permission to take out a threat and what levels did it go to within the United States government? I think those are all very important questions.”

On the Committee’s Use of Subpoenas if State Continues to Withhold Documents

“And the State Department has not been compliant with our document request. I met with the secretary. We had a very cordial conversation. Cooperation is always key. But they’re not cooperating. If he fails to cooperate with my document production request by, you know, the time he testifies on March 23rd, I am prepared to issue a subpoena.”

On What the Administration is Refusing to Release
“It’s the dissent cable, an extraordinary measure to have 23 members of the State Department at the embassy dissenting with the policy, the action report from the ambassador, but also, the plan of evacuation. Just a simple plan of evacuation. What was your plan? They have failed to deliver that to congress. Those are three key areas that we want to see compliance with.”

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