While Biden administration officials are defending the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is calling for resignations after what he says is the “worst foreign policy debacle” in almost 50 years.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Hawley wrote, “This is the worst foreign policy debacle since Vietnam, due to Joe Biden. He has lost the confidence of the American people and the ability to lead. Biden’s entire defense and foreign policy team must resign, and there must be a full congressional inquiry.”
“In the immediate term, we must focus on getting Americans trapped in Afghanistan out safely. That should be our top priority,” he added.
In the immediate term, we must focus on getting Americans trapped in Afghanistan out safely. That should be our top priority.
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) August 18, 2021
The Missouri senator’s comments come after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan following the drawdown of the U.S. military presence there.
The swift collapse of the Afghan government led many to ask why it appeared that Biden administration officials seemed unprepared.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday, “We were clear-eyed going in when we made this decision that it was possible that the Taliban would end up in control of Afghanistan.”
But in July, President Joe Biden told reporters, “The likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.”
And Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress in June, “Whatever happens in Afghanistan if there is a significant deterioration in security, that could well happen. We’ve discussed this before. I don’t think it’s going to be something that happens from a Friday to a Monday. So I wouldn’t [necessarily] equate the departure of our forces in July, August, or by early September with some kind of immediate deterioration in the situation.”
Biden has defended the decision to withdraw, claiming that the events that unfolded in Afghanistan after the drawdown of U.S. forces “reinforced” that it was the “right” time to do so.
