Republicans subpoena Antony Blinken for documents to find out if Secretary of State ‘obstructed’ sanctioning China after spy balloon incident
- The Foreign Affairs president is requesting documents related to the State Department’s “obstruction” of sanctions on China after the spy balloon incident.
- Michael McCaul alleges that Antony Blinken did not implement planned sanctions and export controls because he wanted to continue interacting with the CCP
- China’s surveillance balloon was shot down by the US military after it flew over sensitive military sites in North America earlier this year.
After the State Department repeatedly failed to comply with requests for documents, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul is subpoenaing materials related to the Chinese spy balloon incident.
McCaul alleges that Secretary of State Antony Blinken failed to use sanctions or export controls to adequately counter the “rising aggression” of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The Foreign Affairs president demands that the Department turn over the documents related to the “reported obstruction” by the use of these national security tools.
The documents could indicate whether the US deviated from plans to sanction China after its surveillance balloon traveled over sensitive military sites in North America earlier this year.
The US military shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast in February after it crossed sensitive military sites.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul signed a subpoena Wednesday for documents related to the possible “obstruction” of State Department sanctions for China after the spy balloon incident.
The US military shot down a Chinese spy balloon earlier this year (pictured) after it flew over sensitive military sites in North America.
The Biden administration revealed that the balloon was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals as part of a military-linked aerial surveillance program targeting more than 40 countries.
China maintains that the flyover was an accident involving a civilian aircraft, and the CCP has threatened repercussions if they are punished for the incident.
Among the documents Rep. McCaul of Texas is demanding are the State Department’s “competitive action” calendars, which is a ranked list of actions the Biden team devised to counter Chinese aggression following the balloon flyby.
The plan included sanctioning Chinese companies and implementing export controls, including Chinese tech giant Huawei.
McCaul initially asked Blinken in May to voluntarily turn over the documents.
McCaul’s office released an image Wednesday of the lawmaker signing the subpoena.
“Given the Department of State’s continued refusal to comply with my committee’s urgent request for critical China-related information, I am left with no choice but to issue a subpoena,” Chairman McCaul wrote in a statement about the subpoena.
“It is vital that the committee obtain these documents to shed light on the fact that the department failed to enforce US national security laws against CCP companies and human rights violators,” he added. “The department must comply with the legal obligation, no further obstruction or delay will be tolerated.”
Chairman McCaul alleges that Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not implement planned sanctions and export controls because he wanted to continue engaging with the CCP. He claimed that Blinken did not comply with requests to voluntarily hand over the documents.
McCaul alleges that the state did not issue sanctions for the balloon incident because Blinken wanted to continue to engage with Beijing despite rising tensions.
With Republicans winning a majority in the House after the 2022 midterms, McCaul launched a series of State Department investigations.
One investigation is looking into classified diplomatic cables about the failed US withdrawal from Afghanistan and another into allegations that Biden’s special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, mishandled classified information.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller says the House Foreign Affairs Committee has logged 49 engagements with the State Department since January.
