Blinken defends Afghanistan withdrawal at contentious House hearing

Source: CBS News

Updated on: December 11, 2024 / 2:33 PM EST


Washington — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday defended President Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan while appearing before the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee, which has long sought to question him over the deadly evacuation.

"I firmly believe the president's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was the right one," he told lawmakers. Blinken declined to take the blame for decisions that were made leading up to the exit, explaining that actions taken by the first Trump administration left the Biden administration in a weak position and intelligence assessments expected Kabul to remain the hands of the Afghan government.

Blinken's testimony came nearly three months after the committee voted along party lines to recommend that the nation's top diplomat be held in contempt of Congress amid a standoff over his appearance before the panel to discuss its investigation into the 2021 withdrawal.

The committee and State Department had been at odds for months, leading Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the Republican chairman, to issue multiple subpoenas for Blinken to testify in September. McCaul said Blinken's appearance was important as the committee considers "potential legislation aimed at helping prevent the catastrophic mistakes of the withdrawal."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blinken-testifies-afghanistan-withdrawal-house-foreign-affairs-committee/