House GOP lawmaker readies contempt charge over Afghanistan dissent cable

By STEPHEN GROVES
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is threatening to push forward a legislative effort to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress next week. Rep. Michael McCaul wants Blinken to release a classified cable sent from U.S. diplomats in Kabul shortly before the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. McCaul says the House Foreign Affairs Committee could vote on the contempt charges at a hearing May 24. The State Department has said it is trying to provide Congress with “appropriate” information on the cable while protecting its employees. The so-called dissent channel has for decades provided a way for diplomats to discreetly voice concerns about strategy.