Happening Now: Blinken testifies before House on Biden Afghanistan withdrawal

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will give his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday morning, over three years after the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

The hearing also comes just a few months after House Republicans unveiled their long-awaited report analyzing the event that led to the deaths of 13 service members and an estimated 100,000 partners of U.S. government efforts were left behind. The report painted President Biden as being determined to leave the country but fumbling preparations that set the stage for the deadly exit from America’s longest war.

Blinken was unable to make a hearing earlier this year, citing his commitment to attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. Due to his absence, the GOP-led committee moved forward with an attempt to hold the secretary of state in contempt of a subpoena to appear.

Late last month, committee chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced he had secured Blinken to testify.