Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) said in a recent tweet Wednesday that he believes that President Joe Biden is responsible for the “worst foreign policy debacle since Vietnam” and he called on Biden’s entire defense and foreign policy team to resign.
“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,” the Republican lawmaker tweeted.
“In the immediate term, we must focus on getting Americans trapped in Afghanistan out safely. That should be our top priority,” he urged in another tweet.
One of the main reasons for Senator Josh Hawley’s rant would have to be because the Taliban has swiftly taken over Afghanistan and they have made the United States scramble to evacuate American citizens and their allies from the country.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said during last Wednesday’s press conference that the swift collapse of Afghanistan’s military and government is something that they had not anticipated.
“There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days,” he said.
Couple this with the fact that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that there was a “fair amount” of U.S. weaponry that had fallen into the hands of the Taliban, and you have a recipe for instability and violence in this long-troubled region.
President Biden also noted during an ABC News interview that he didn’t see a way for the United States to withdraw “without chaos ensuing.” Biden went on to remark that “the idea that somehow, there would be a way for us to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, well, I don’t really know how that happens.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) continue to request a classified briefing or a call next week detailing the various aspects of the current situation in Afghanistan. They have been in correspondence with the Gang of Eight over this.
In their letter to President Biden, these congressional leaders said that they are trying to learn about “the number and location of U.S. persons that are currently stationed in Afghanistan, and the methodology to which they could determine such a number and location.” They also are looking to be briefed on what type of plan the administration has “to evacuate U.S. persons outside of Kabul who are not able to travel safely to the city,” and other similar logistical issues.
Of course, the Gang of Eight refers to the Chair and the other ranking members of the Senate and House Intelligence committees plus the four leaders of these two congressional chambers. Biden has some serious explaining to do, but it doesn’t look too promising that we will get any answers.