MSNBC’s Jen Psaki facing GOP subpoena over role in Biden's botched Afghanistan withdrawal
MSNBC host Jen Psaki is facing a possible congressional subpoena about the Biden administration's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, sent a letter to Psaki on Tuesday requesting she appears for a transcribed interview regarding her role as White House press secretary at the time or else the Committee will "use all the tools at its disposal" to ensure she does.
The letter comes on the heels of Psaki's false claim in her new book, "Say More," that President Biden never looked at his watch during a dignified transfer ceremony for American service members who were killed in a terrorist attack during the withdrawal. Once pictures and Gold Star families' firsthand accounts contradicted the claim, Psaki said future reprints and the eBook would be edited to accurately reflect the event.
McCaul's letter, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, blasted the MSNBC star for seeking to "profit" off the Afghanistan tragedy, which saw the Taliban quickly take over the country as it collapsed into violence and chaos when the U.S. withdrew its troops. Thirteen U.S. sevicemembers were also killed in a terrorist bombing at Kabul's airport.
"The Committee expects Ms. Psaki to appear before it to answer questions regarding her role in the catastrophic withdrawal, which killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and over 170 Afghan civilians, and injured 45 U.S. servicemembers and countless Afghans," McCaul wrote.
"Upon taking the chairmanship, I launched a fact-based investigation into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in the interest of oversight and accountability, and to help prevent another such disaster from occurring in the future," he continued. "The Committee’s thorough investigation points to Ms. Psaki as having played an important role in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the deadly August 2021 non-combatant evacuation operation."
McCaul said 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" as press secretary.
"It is troubling that Ms. Psaki seeks to profit off the Afghanistan tragedy, and has felt comfortable writing accounts and making them available to the general public, but refuses to make herself available to Congress, the branch dedicated to representing the interest and will of the American people," he wrote.
"Ms. Psaki unfortunately advanced narratives regarding the withdrawal and evacuation that my investigation has proven untrue," McCaul wrote.
Psaki did not immediately respond to a request for comment. McCaul gave Psaki until May 28 to schedule an interview.
Axios first reported McCaul’s letter.
"The Committee will not tolerate Ms. Psaki’s continued obstruction of its critical investigation and is prepared to use all the tools at its disposal to ensure America’s representatives speak with her," McCaul wrote.
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Psaki recently conducted a media tour to promote "Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World." She joined MSNBC in May 2022 and has continued to be a reliable Biden supporter.