The US State Department spokesperson said that Antony Blinken will not be able to appear before the US Congress on the date set by the House Foreign Relations Committee to discuss the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Matthew Miller said that Blinken has other important things to do, such as a ceasefire in Gaza.
The US House Foreign Relations Committee recently subpoenaed Antony Blinken to testify about the country's withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The committee's chairman, Michael McCaul, warned Blinken that if he did not appear before the committee on September 19, he would face a charge of contempt of Congress.
A State Department spokesperson said at a press briefing on Tuesday, that Antony Blinken "has testified 14 times in Congress about Afghanistan, including four times directly before the House Foreign Affairs Committee”.
Matthew Miller added that the State Department has cooperated with the US House Foreign Relations Committee's investigation into Afghanistan and has handed over the documents to the committee.
In a letter to the US State Department on Tuesday, Michael McCaul wrote that former and current US officials have confirmed that Antony Blinken was the "final decision-maker" on the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.
McCaul asked Blinken to appear before the Foreign Relations Committee to answer about his role.
However, Matthew Miller said at the press briefing, "The secretary is travelling and trying to push forward the ceasefire."
US media reported that Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt on Wednesday, September 19, with the aim of advancing the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Referring to Blinken's visit, Matthew Miller said, "The secretary of state cannot be in Congress for the time being, because he has other important things to do.
Miller added that the secretary of state could appear before the Congress at a later date, but for now, his deputy is available.
Asked when Antony Blinken could appear before the Congress, the State Department spokesperson said, "We are in discussions with the committee on this issue and we have proposed a time when Blinken is not travelling to do important US foreign policy matters."
At the same time, Matthew Miller called Antony Blinken's testimony before the Foreign Relations Committee "unnecessary”.
Recently, with the heat of the election contests in the United States, Republicans, especially Donald Trump, the party's presidential candidate, have accused Joe Biden and Kamala Harris of "mismanagement" in the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
Trump blames the Biden administration and his vice-president for failing to prevent the deaths of 13 US troops during the evacuation from Afghanistan.
