Blinken will allow McCaul to view Afghanistan dissent cable after contempt threat

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will allow lawmakers access to a dissent cable centered around the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, caving to pressure from House Republicans who had threatened Blinken in contempt of Congress.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) has been in pursuit of a July 2021 dissent cable from State Department officials that reportedly expressed grave concerns about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and warned about the fall of the U.S.-backed government.

Earlier this month, McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, threatened to hold Blinken in contempt if he did not provide him access to the diplomatic cable. 

“In our letter to the committee today, we will invite Chairman McCaul and ranking member (Rep. Gregory) Meeks (D-N.Y.) to view the dissent channel cable here at the State Department … with appropriate personal information redacted,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a press conference Wednesday. “It is our sincere hope that our offer here will sufficiently satisfy their request for information.”

The reported cable came from a confidential “dissent channel” that allows State Department officials to communicate views that are contrary to administration policy and issue warnings. The cable sought by McCaul and House Republicans reportedly included warnings about the fragility of the government in Kabul in the event of an American withdrawal.

It is part of House Republicans' oversight of the Biden administration’s August 2021 decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, which garnered much criticism from the president’s detractors on the right.

Blinken had rejected previous attempts to view the cable, citing a need to maintain the integrity of the confidential channel. The department offered to give lawmakers a briefing on the contents of the cable.

“The dissent channel cable is something that is really integral and sacred to this department,” Patel said. “It is an avenue for personnel across the world to engage with the senior leadership on very important issues and for senior leadership to engage back. It’s not an avenue to inform or convey policy to Congress.”

The Hill has reached out to McCaul for comment.