State Dept to allow two House members to view classified Afghanistan document

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers the Closing Plenary Keynote address at the Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver, Colorado, U.S. April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department on Wednesday said two top members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee can view a redacted version of a classified cable about the chaotic August 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan sought by the committee's Republican chairperson.

Michael McCaul earlier scheduled a committee meeting next week to consider a contempt of Congress charge against Secretary of State Antony Blinken over his refusal to release the cable, sent by U.S. diplomats via the department's so-called "dissent channel." The channel allows State Department officials to air concerns to supervisors.