According to a statement from the committee issued on Wednesday, if Secretary Blinken fails to appear, the Committee’s chairman Michael McCaul will proceed instead with a full committee markup of a report recommending the US House of Representatives find Secretary Blinken in contempt of Congress for violating a duly issued subpoena.

The request for a summons comes as the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan becomes a complicated issue ahead of the US presidential election on November 5.

A department spokesperson said earlier this month that Blinken has testified before Congress on Afghanistan more than 14 times, including four times before the committee, and the State Department has provided the committee with 20,000 pages of records, multiple high-level briefings, and transcribed interviews.