House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) has warned former White House press secretary Jen Psaki to submit to an interview about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan or face a subpoena. McCaul’s letter, released Wednesday, noted that he had initially requested an interview last September, which was denied by President Biden’s White House counsel despite Psaki leaving government service in May 2022.
“Ms. Psaki was charged with communicating the withdrawal to the American people and possesses key insights into the planning and decision-making regarding the Afghanistan withdrawal, the rapid Taliban takeover, and the evacuation of American citizens and Afghan allies,” McCaul wrote to Psaki’s counsel, Emily Loeb.
“Ms. Psaki unfortunately advanced narratives regarding the withdrawal and evacuation that my investigation has proven untrue,” McCaul added.
“The Committee will not tolerate Ms. Psaki’s continued obstruction of its critical investigation,” McCaul’s letter concluded, “and is prepared to use all the tools at its disposal to ensure America’s representatives speak with her.”
The Committee plans to release a comprehensive report this summer on the withdrawal, which was marked by poor planning, rushed execution, and an ISIS-K suicide bombing at Kabul’s international airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and hundreds of Afghans.
Psaki recently corrected a claim in her book “Say More” about President Biden checking his watch during the dignified transfer ceremony for the fallen service members at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. McCaul criticized Psaki for profiting from the Afghanistan tragedy while refusing to speak with Congress.
“Given that the Biden White House publicly supported Congressional interviews of former Trump officials,” McCaul wrote, “I fail to understand why Ms. Psaki insists on a double standard, now rejecting similar calls for accountability, unless it is her contention that the deaths of Americans and allies are not extraordinary circumstances.”
McCaul asked for Psaki to appear for an interview on June 12, June 26, or July 9, and to finalize arrangements by May 28.