Staff Reports
Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki is set to meet with lawmakers from the House Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss the Biden administration's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan last year. The committee's chairman, Michael McCaul, stated that Psaki played a crucial role and was a key source of information during the withdrawal.
The committee has been eager to understand the failures in diplomatic and information transmission that led to misrepresentations about coordination with allies, contingency planning, the foreseeability of Afghanistan's collapse, and the safety of Americans and allies in the country. McCaul emphasized Psaki's duty as a former public servant to cooperate with Congress when called upon.
Jen Psaki to testify to Congress as part of Afghanistan withdrawal investigation https://t.co/q5YpOu5fgH
— Trump2024_no_matter_what (@TexasTrump2024) June 17, 2024
Psaki has agreed to testify, but her appearance is contingent upon approval from the White House. McCaul warned that any limitations on her appearance would be considered a refusal to testify. Furthermore, he set a deadline for Psaki to resolve the conditions of her appearance with the White House, stating that failure to do so would result in the interview being treated as a deposition.
The committee's pursuit of Psaki's testimony comes after extensive efforts to obtain information from other government agencies, with McCaul asserting that Psaki's experiences and insights cannot be substituted. The Washington Examiner contacted the White House to comment on Psaki's testimony.
This development follows the launch of an investigation by McCaul into the decisions made by administration officials leading up to the military's withdrawal from Afghanistan after Republicans gained the House majority. The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 was marked by chaotic scenes as thousands of Afghans sought evacuation, and a deadly ISIS-K attack outside the Kabul airport resulted in the deaths of 170 people, including 13 U.S. service members.
The investigation aims to scrutinize the series of events surrounding the withdrawal, including the last-minute evacuation orders and the failure to evacuate all U.S. citizens and Afghan allies.
