State Department grants access to Biden Afghanistan documents after GOP threatens contempt charge

House Republicans will be able to view documents this week relating to President Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal after months of stonewalling by the State Department.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, will access the documents at the State Department offices this week after threatening to hit Secretary of State Antony Blinken with a contempt of Congress charge. The document, a dissent cable from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, details any misgivings State Department officials there had with Biden's withdrawal plans.

McCaul had subpoenaed the document multiple times in the early months of this year, but Blinken had failed to provide it. The State Department instead offered a briefing on the document's contents, a move McCaul accepted while still demanding to see the document itself.

McCaul will visit the department this week to read the document alongside Rep. Greg Meeks, D-N.Y., the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, according to Punchbowl News.

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The pair will view the document in full, but the names of those who contributed to the dissent report will be redacted.

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Blinken has argued from the beginning that providing access to the dissent report could dissuade State Department employees from being truthful in future dissent reports. The document is meant to be an opportunity for officials to be candid regarding upcoming operations.

Blinken blew past the original subpoena deadline to supply the documents in March, then again in April when McCaul pushed back the deadline. McCaul set his latest line in the sand at May 1, and Blinken again refused to provide the documents.

McCaul threatened to charge Blinken with contempt of Congress as a result. The congressman told Fox News Digital last week that he planned to introduce the contempt charge on May 24.

"I don't take this lightly because a Secretary of State's never been held in contempt by Congress before," McCaul told Fox. "And I think the secretary realizes that and the gravity. They probably prefer not to go down this route as well. But if they do not comply, we're prepared to move forward next week with a markup for resolution of contempt."

Even if passed by the House, the contempt charge would largely have been a symbolic move, as President Biden's Justice Department would likely decline to prosecute the case.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO booed during commencement speech: 'Pay your writers!'

Boston University graduates heckled Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav on the ongoing writers’ strike during his commencement speech on Sunday.

The former Discovery head spoke to the graduating class of 2023 ahead of receiving an honorary degree at the university. Several students, however, took issue with his appearance in the midst of a massive Hollywood writers’ strike and continued to boo him throughout the speech.

"You wanna be successful, you’re gonna have to figure out how to get along with everyone, and that includes difficult people. Some people—" Zaslav paused as chants interrupted him. "Some people will be looking for a fight, but don’t be the one they fight it with. Focus on good people’s qualities."

He continued, "In my career, I’ve seen so many talented people lose opportunities or jobs because they couldn’t get along with others. You can’t choose the people you work with. Figure out what you like about a person — there’s always something — and do whatever it takes to navigate their challenges. We all have them."

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Throughout the speech, students could be heard chanting "pay your writers!" and "shut up, Zaslav!"

The Writers' Guild of America (WGA) strike officially began on May 2, halting several TV and film productions with no clear end in sight. Zaslav was invited to speak at the Boston University nine days later on May 11 to the dismay of the WGA.

"Boston University should not give voice to someone who wants to destroy their students’ ability to build a career in the film and television industry," the WGA said in a statement.

A picket was also formed outside the building, offering signs and slogans for students to verbally or silently protest Zaslav during his speech.

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Despite the animosity from the students, Zaslav expressed gratitude for the experience and voiced support for Hollywood writers.

"I am grateful to my alma mater, Boston University, for inviting me to be part of today’s commencement and for giving me an honorary degree. As I have often said, I am immensely supportive of writers and hope the strike is resolved soon and in a way that they feel recognizes their value," Zaslav told the Hollywood Reporter in a statement.

Zaslav was previously blasted for some of his decisions made as CEO such as massive cost-saving cuts in film and television production that shelved or canceled several projects.

More notably, Zaslav was the CEO who hired Chris Licht to replace Jeff Zucker as the head of CNN after the latter’s surprising termination by the company. Since then, the network has suffered from several layoffs, dismissals and losses in viewership as CNN continues to search for a new identity.

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Calls for Licht’s removal also increased after the network hosted a townhall with former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election.