Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) is criticizing the Biden administration for not speaking out against the Taliban as strongly as he believes it should.
During an appearance on MSNBC on Thursday, Sasse said, “The only people [Secretary of State Antony Blinken] seems unwilling to blame is the Taliban. Tell me where the administration is talking about who the Taliban is. We’re going to rely on the mercy and good graces of these rapists?”
“Here’s what they’re actually doing in the regional provinces, they’re going to households, and they’re saying to people, ‘We have rights to every girl over 12. You ready to hand her, or do we have to fight you for her?’ That’s who these people are. And the administration says, ‘Trust us, we have really good diplomatic relations,'” he added.
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Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) on @Morning_Joe slams Sec. of State Antony Blinken and takes a shot at U.S.-Taliban relations: “We’re gonna rely on the mercy and the good graces of these rapists?” pic.twitter.com/ZX8AO5sDcx
— The Recount (@therecount) August 26, 2021Should the U.S. have diplomatic engagement with the Taliban?
In the wake of the Taliban takeover there have been reports that Taliban commanders have forced communities to hand over unmarried women to become “wives.”
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. has engaged diplomatically with the Taliban “for years” and that continued engagement “depends entirely on the actions and conduct of the Taliban.”
“If a future government upholds the basic rights of the Afghan people, if it makes good on its commitments to ensure that Afghanistan cannot be used as a launching pad for terrorist attacks directed against us and our allies and partners, and in the first instance, if it makes good on its commitments to allow people who want to leave Afghanistan to leave, that’s a government we can work with,” he said.
Blinken also said the U.S. would use “every diplomatic, economic assistance tool” available to ensure those who want to leave Afghanistan can, after the Aug. 31 deadline to complete the withdrawal of American forces.
