As the United States hits the 1-year anniversary of the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan which left 13 U.S. troops dead, politicians are looking back and reigniting the conversation regarding the failed evacuation attempt. Following the withdrawal, the Taliban quickly took over the area, resulting in human rights violations all throughout Afghanistan once again. Florida politicians such as Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) were not afraid to dive back into the withdrawal issue.
“Americans are still left behind. They're still there. Many of them can't leave because they can't get their family members out. Our allies, by the tens of thousands that we left behind, are being hunted down by the Taliban as we speak. Girls can't go to school, women can't leave their home much less have a job," said former Army Green Beret Waltz. "Al-Qaeda is back just like it was pre-2001, and then add on top of that the absolute devastation to American credibility around the world."
Former governor and now Sen. Scott took the conversation even further. With Politico reporting that Republicans will most likely take back the House and the Senate, Scott is asking Americans to revisit his call to for a bipartisan Join Select Committee to investigate the Afghanistan withdrawal.
The American people demand accountability. We must pass my bill to launch a bicameral, bipartisan Joint Select Committee on #Afghanistan NOW. (2/2) https://t.co/r1p3ib4yoa
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) August 15, 2022
“One year ago, Kabul fell to the Taliban on @JoeBiden's watch. He knew the Taliban could swiftly take #Afghanistan & the risks of stranding Americans in a botched withdrawal. Biden failed to prepare & lied to us & the world. 13 U.S. troops were lost. We won’t forget them." And then later in the Twitter thread, Scott wrote, “The American people demand accountablilty. We must pass my bill to launch a bicameral, bipartisan Joint Select Committee on #Afghanistan NOW.”
The proposed Joint Select Committee calls for summaries of intelligence reports leading up to the attack on the Kabul airport, an unredacted transcript of the telephone call between Biden and President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani on July 23rd, 2021, and also (but not limited to) “an assessment of United States assets, as well as any assets left behind by allies, that could now be used by the Taliban, ISIS-K, and other terrorist organizations operating within the region.”
Should the Republicans regain control of both chambers of the Legislative Branch, the proposal by the Florida Senator could become reality.
