GOP pauses Blinken contempt push after gaining access to classified Afghanistan cable

By FARNOUSH AMIRI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee says he is pausing an effort to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress now that the State Department is letting him view a redacted classified cable from U.S. diplomats in Kabul sent shortly before the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, is agreeing to review the July 2021 communication that reportedly warned the U.S. about the potential fall of Kabul via a special dissent channel.  The development has temporarily halted an intensifying oversight battle. State Department officials have used the classified messaging platform for decades to issue warnings or express contrarian views to senior agency officials.