Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, where he will face a second day of questioning Republican lawmakers who are critical of the withdrawal of the Biden administration from Afghanistan.
Leading the news: The chairman of the committee, the hawkish New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez, did not punch his initial statement, threatening to cite Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other Biden officials who refuse to appear voluntarily before the committee. .
- “Mr. Secretary, the execution of the U.S. withdrawal was clearly and fatally flawed,” Menendez told Blinken.
- Menendez promised accountability for the multiple administrations that “lied” about the stability of the Afghan government and said Austin’s refusal to testify “will affect my personal judgment of candidates for the Department of Defense.”
Highlights: Blinken said the administration began planning a “worst case scenario” in Afghanistan in the spring and summer, including contingencies to evacuate the U.S. embassy in Kabul in 48 hours and establish control over the country. airport.
- The secretary refused to give the committee a copy of a July 13 State Department dissent cable warning of the impending collapse of the Afghan government shortly after the U.S. withdrawal, saying those cables are designed “just to share them with senior department officials.” “
- Blinken said the State Department “still tabulates” the number of Special Immigrant Visa applicants who need to leave Afghanistan and said the agency significantly increased resources to reduce program delays this year. spring.
- Blinken told Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) That while the Taliban now control some of the $ 80 billion in military equipment supplied to Afghan security forces, much of it is “inoperable” and “none of them.” poses a strategic threat to neighbors in the United States or Afghanistan.
The big picture: On Monday, for more than five hours of statements before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Blinken calmly defended almost every aspect of the removal and evacuation effort, refusing to admit that it could have been handled in a different even when he faced intense criticism and called for the resignation of the furious Republicans. .
Get up to date fast: “We inherited a term. We didn’t inherit a plan,” Blinken told committee members, repeatedly blaming former President Trump for forcing the hand of the Biden administration with the peace deal he reached with the the Taliban.
- He praised Biden’s decision to end the war in Afghanistan to be fair and the “extraordinary” evacuation effort, although he acknowledged that about 100 U.S. citizens and possibly “thousands” of incumbents. green card remain in the country.
- Blinken also disputed Republicans’ claims that Biden ignored or “manipulated” intelligence about the Afghan government’s pending collapse, and insisted that the administration functioned as well as it could in conditions no one anticipated.
What to see: Democrats are expected, with Menendez as a notable exception, to defend the withdrawal and back down against the Republican Party’s efforts to fix 20 years of bipartisan mistakes in Afghanistan at Biden.
- Meanwhile, Republican senators will take a look at Blinken about the administration’s stance toward the Taliban and demand to know how it will pull out U.S. citizens and Afghanistan’s green card holders.
- Republicans are also expected to put pressure on the secretary on the challenges posed by Biden’s anti-terrorism strategy “on the horizon,” although Blinken was reluctant to discuss these issues in an unclassified environment during his testimony in the Chamber.
In the meantime: General Austin Scott Miller, a former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, will testify behind closed doors before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 3:30 p.m.
In depth: Highlights of Blinken’s appearance in front of the house
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