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Transcript/ScriptUS CONGRESS-BLINKEN AFGHANISTAN
HEADLINE: House Republicans Demand Documents on US Exit From Afghanistan
TEASER: GOP urges Secretary of State Antony Blinken to answer for ‘debacle’ of US
forces' hasty departure from Afghanistan in August 2021
PUBLISHED AT: 3/23/2023 at 9:12p.m.
BYLINE: Cindy Saine
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: State Department
VIDEOGRAPHER:
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Holly Franko, Reifenrath, DJ (ok)
VIDEO SOURCE (S): MRT House hearing, AP, AFP, Reuters
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 3:05
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[Republican House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul is demanding
that Secretary of State Antony Blinken provide documents on the hasty U.S. withdrawal
from Afghanistan in 2021. McCaul said the "catastrophic" exit from Afghanistan made
the U.S. look weak and emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade
Ukraine. Cindy Saine has this report.))
((NARRATOR))
The abrupt withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the
chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport of Afghans trying to flee the country are back in the
spotlight.
With Republicans holding a majority in the House of Representatives, House Foreign
Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul is investigating what he calls the “debacle”
of the U.S. withdrawal. McCaul says the Biden administration “projected weakness” to
U.S. adversaries, emboldening both Russia’s and China’s leaders.
[[radio: House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul]]
((Rep. Michael McCaul, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman))
“We saw not too long after the fall of Afghanistan, on satellite imagery, the Russian
Federation moving towards Ukraine. It was never a question of ‘if,’ it was a question of
‘when’ with Mr. Putin, and I think from what he saw, he decided it was the time. And we
saw the troop presence, and then we saw the invasion, and then we see Chairman Xi.
Chairman Xi’s threatening Taiwan as we speak.”
((NARRATOR))
Several Democratic members pointed out the Trump administration had already set a
date for all U.S. forces to leave Afghanistan, before President Joe Biden came into
office and brought an end to America’s longest war.
Many lawmakers view the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members at the
Kabul International Airport during the evacuations as a security failure. McCaul has
asked Blinken to provide documents, including a “dissent channel” cable reportedly sent
in July 2021 by diplomats serving at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, warning that the
Afghan government was at risk of collapse in the face of a rapid advance by the
Taliban.
The dissent channel is a formal communication procedure that allows State Department
employees to bring urgent, dissenting opinions on foreign policy issues to the secretary
of state's attention without fear of retribution.
Blinken said the State Department is working with the committee and just turned over
thousands of pages on the plan to evacuate the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. But he said he
would not hand over the dissent cable.
((Antony Blinken, Secretary of State))
“It is vital to me that we preserve the integrity of that process and of that channel, and
that we do not take any steps that could have a chilling effect on the willingness of
others to come forward in the future to express dissenting views on the policies that are
being pursued.”
((NARRATOR))
McCaul said he would give Blinken until Monday to turn over the dissent cable, or else
he would issue a subpoena, saying Americans deserve answers about the fall of the
Afghan government, the U.S. departure and the Taliban takeover of the country.
Cindy Saine, VOA News, the State Department
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
State Department
Embargo DateMarch 23, 2023 18:46 EDT
Byline
Cindy Saine, VOA News, the State Department
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
