得克萨斯州共和党众议员迈克尔·麦克考尔周日表示，众议院外交事务委员会将继续追究国务卿安东尼·布林肯藐视法庭的指控。国会传唤布林肯交出关于2021年美国人员撤离的异议电报。
“我准备推进藐视法庭诉讼，”该委员会主席麦考尔告诉美国广播公司“本周”联合主播乔纳森·卡尔。“这将是国务卿第一次被国会蔑视，这是刑事蔑视，所以我不会掉以轻心。”
如果布林肯被判藐视法庭，他的案件将移交给司法部，然而拜登DOJ不太可能起诉布林肯。
卡尔还就第42条最近到期及其对边境安全的影响向麦克考尔施压。官员们预计这项政策结束后，边境会出现激增，这项政策要求在边境驱逐非法移民。国土安全部部长亚历杭德罗·马约尔卡斯(Alejandro Mayorkas)周日告诉“本周”,自第42条到期以来，边境上的遭遇大幅下降。
“与第42条终止前相比，我们实际上已经看到边境遭遇下降了50%，”Mayorkas说。“为什么?我们一直在为此做准备，并正在执行。”
当被问及对部长声明的回应时，麦克考尔说这应该早些发生。
“为什么他花了这么长时间?”麦考尔说。“我的意思是，我从第一天就告诉他，你可以随便怎么称呼它，但移民保护协议正在发挥作用。”
麦克考尔还表示，在边境安全问题上可能有两党法案的空间，但他承认，共和党最近关于边境安全的提案不会在参议院通过。该提案呼吁重建特朗普的边境墙，并恢复“留在墨西哥”政策。
“我仍然希望有理性的民主党人会在这些条款上与我们合作，”麦克考尔说。
众议院共和党人最近通过了一项法案，将提高国家的债务限额，并在某些领域削减支出。专家警告称，如果没有达成协议，最早可能在6月1日出现国家违约。
"你对我们走向违约有多担心?"卡尔问道。
“我认为对我们的全部信任和信用违约，任何金融人士都会告诉你这是非常灾难性的，”麦克考尔回应道。“他们说(共和党人)不能执政，但我们通过了一项边境法案。”
Rep. McCaul on contempt proceedings for Secretary Blinken: 'I am prepared to move forward'
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Sunday the House Committee on Foreign Affairs will continue to pursue contempt charges for Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Congress subpoenaed Blinken to turn over the dissent cable regarding the withdrawal of American personnel in 2021.
"I am prepared to move forward to contempt proceedings," McCaul, the committee's chairman, told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl. "This would be the first time a secretary of state has ever been held in contempt by Congress and it's criminal contempt, so I don't take it lightly."
If Blinken is held in contempt, his case would be turned over to the Department of Justice, however it is unlikely the Biden DOJ would prosecute Blinken.
Karl also pressed McCaul on the recent expiration of Title 42 and its impact on border security. Officials expected a surge at the border following the end of this policy, one that called for the expulsion of illegal migrants at the border. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told "This Week" on Sunday that encounters at the border have dropped significantly since Title 42's expiration.
"We’ve actually seen a 50% drop in encounters at the border compared to the days before Title 42 ended," Mayorkas said. "Why? We’ve been preparing for this and are executing."
When asked for a response to the secretary’s statement, McCaul said this should have happened sooner.
"Why did it take him so long?" McCaul said. "I mean, I told him from day one, you can call it whatever you want, but the migrant protection protocols were working."
McCaul also said there could be room for a bipartisan bill on border security but he recognized that the recent GOP proposal on border security will not pass in the Senate. The proposal calls for the reconstruction of Trump’s border wall and the reinstatement of the "Remain in Mexico" policy.
"I'm still hopeful that there are rational Democrats out there who will work with us on some of these provisions," McCaul said.
House Republicans recently passed a bill that would raise the nation's debt limit and cut spending in certain areas. Experts have warned that a national default could occur as early as June 1 if no deal is struck.
"How concerned are you that we’re heading toward a default?" Karl asked.
"I think defaulting on our full faith and credit, any financial person will tell you it's very catastrophic," McCaul responded. "They said [Republicans] couldn’t govern, we got a border bill passed."
