Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has agreed to testify for a congressional investigation into the Biden administration’s c...
Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has agreed to testify for a congressional investigation into the Biden administration’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan — but with a catch that may still result in a subpoena being issued, a top House Republican announced on Monday.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), who had threatened to subpoena Psaki if she did not stop dodging an interview after several months of correspondence, said her counsel sent a response last week, and now a transcribed interview has been scheduled for July 26.
Yet the issue is not fully resolved, as McCaul said in a new letter to Psaki that it is his understanding that she “conditioned” her appearance upon receiving approval from the White House. The chairman noted that his committee is willing to attend any meetings geared toward overcoming the hurdle.
“While I hope to proceed with your voluntary appearance, I expect you to have resolved the conditionality of your appearance by June 26, 2024,” McCaul said. “If not, I must treat your June 12 response as a refusal to appear and you will be compelled to sit for a deposition on July 26, 2024.”
Psaki served as Biden’s White House press secretary from the beginning of his administration on January 20, 2021, to May 13, 2022, and then was hired by MSNBC. During her time at the left-leaning cable news network, where she hosts her own show, Psaki has continued to defend Biden while disparaging former President Donald Trump and the Republican lawmakers who back him.
McCaul, who has been trying to get Psaki to sit for an interview since September, began signaling the prospect of a subpoena in May after Psaki’s new book, “Say More,” drew controversy for falsely claiming Biden never checked his watch during a ceremony for U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing attack on the Kabul airport. The book has since been edited to remove that section.
Psaki served as an “authoritative source” on the withdrawal of U.S. military troops and civilians in August of 2021, McCaul wrote in his letter, adding how his committee “has a vested interest in understanding those diplomatic and information transmission failures, which led to misrepresentations regarding, amongst other things, coordination with allies, contingency planning, the foreseeability of Afghanistan’s collapse, and the safety of Americans and allies in Afghanistan.”
McCaul added, “As a former public servant, and now, a private citizen in the public sphere, you have a duty to appear before Congress when called upon. Should you wish to avoid being the sole witness to date compelled to appear in this investigation, the limitations imposed on your appearance by the White House must be resolved by June 26, 2024.”
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