Washington, DC — Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today issued the following statement concerning the announcement by the Committee’s Republican majority of a markup to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress. Meeks had previously released a statement condemning the GOP’s threats to subpoena Secretary Blinken for testimony.  

The contempt vote comes nearly a week after Republicans released a politically timed, partisan report—which misrepresented the facts of the Committee’s oversight investigation of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Committee Democrats released their own report detailing the investigation’s findings.  

“Secretary Blinken was the first cabinet official to appear before Congress in the days after the Afghanistan withdrawal, has appeared an additional three times before the Committee since to take questions on Afghanistan, and has provided regular access to Department officials and thousands of pages of sensitive documents to the Committee throughout its Afghanistan oversight work. Yet, after more than three years since the Afghanistan withdrawal but conveniently on the eve of a Presidential election, Republicans suddenly urgently need his testimony?  

“It is shameless that, while Secretary Blinken deals with pressing issues around the world—like securing a ceasefire deal in Gaza or the war in Ukraine—the House GOP continues its political theater by seeking to hold Secretary Blinken in contempt of Congress.”  

“The scheduled Committee vote to hold Secretary Blinken in contempt, based on bogus allegations of wrongdoing that their own investigation has not proven, is just the latest act in the political theater that Republicans now wish to extend further into the election season. It is both desperate and nakedly partisan.” 

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