As the United States reckons with the recent 1-year anniversary of the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, many Republicans have called out President Joe Biden (D) for his lack of acknowledgement of the event in which 13 U.S. Service Members lost their lives. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) was not the first to condemn the President’s failure to take responsibility for the evacuation, but she and her colleagues in the House of Representatives will almost certainly not be the last.
"The administration’s reckless, thoughtless, and dangerous withdrawal from Afghanistan is one that Secretary Austin and Secretary Blinken must answer to," said Rep. Cammack. "The severe mishandling of the withdrawal not only resulted in the deaths of 13 American servicemembers, but it left Kabul vulnerable to the Taliban who has now seized control of the Afghan capital. This was a travesty that could have largely been avoided had proper procedure been followed, and the Biden administration must be held accountable for its actions."
The letter sent to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was signed by dozens of Republicans including Florida legislators such as Rep. Brian Mast (R), Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R), Rep. Greg Steube (R), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R), Rep. Mario Diaz Balart (R), Rep. Mike Waltz (R), Rep. Daniel Webster (R) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R).
Just days ago, Donalds called President Biden’s actions upon hearing the news of the failed withdrawal “unbecoming of a human being” and called for Biden to resign.
The letter to the Defense Secretary and the Secretary of State called the evacuation a “complete and utter failure of leadership by those in charge.”
On August 15th, CBS News reported that the Taliban were seen marching in the streets of Kabul to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of the end of American occupation in Afghanistan. The nation is still classified as a humanitarian crisis according to the U.N., and has stripped citizens of basic various human rights, especially women’s rights.
The letter also incorporates a multitude of questions concerning the logistics of the evacuation. This includes but is not limited to inquiries about the amount of Americans reported missing or remaining in Afghanistan, statuses of Afghan interpreters, and the equipment handed over to the Taliban following the withdrawal.
For the full text of the letter, click here:
