Blinken pushes back against Afghan withdrawal criticism

By Matthew Lee | Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed backmost Monday against harsh Republican disapproval of the handling of the subject withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying the Biden medication inherited a woody with the Taliban to extremity the war, but nary program for carrying it out.

In a sometimes contentious proceeding Monday earlier the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Blinken sought to blunt complaints from aggravated GOP lawmakers astir the administration’s effect to the speedy illness of the Afghan authorities and, much specifically, the State Department’s actions to evacuate Americans and others.

Blinken echoed White House talking points blaming the Trump medication for the concern that President Joe Biden inherited successful Afghanistan. “We inherited a deadline. We did not inherit a plan,” helium said, maintaining that the medication had done the close happening successful ending 20 years of war.

“We made the close determination successful ending America’s longest-running war,” said Blinken, who volition attest connected Tuesday earlier the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Republicans savaged the withdrawal process arsenic “a disaster” and “a disgrace.” And portion immoderate Democrats allowed that the cognition could person been handled better, galore utilized their questions to heap disapproval connected erstwhile President Donald Trump.

The State Department has travel nether dense disapproval from some sides for not doing capable and not acting rapidly capable to get American citizens, ineligible residents and at-risk Afghans retired of the state aft the Taliban took power of Kabul connected Aug. 15. Some seeking to permission stay stranded there, though Blinken could not supply an nonstop number. He said astir 100 U.S. citizens stay on with astir “several thousand” greenish paper holders.

“This was an unmitigated catastrophe of epic proportions,” said Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the apical Republican connected the committee. He said the abrupt withdrawal on with leaving immoderate Americans and Afghans down had “emboldened the Taliban” and different U.S. adversaries. “I tin summarize this successful 1 word: betrayal.”

His GOP colleagues Steve Chabot of Ohio and Lee Zeldin of New York were adjacent much blunt. “This is simply a disgrace,” Chabot said. “This was fatally flawed and poorly executed,” said Zeldin. “I judge that you, sir, should resign. That would beryllium leadership.”

The president of the committee, New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, urged his colleagues to support authorities retired of their criticism. But helium acknowledged that determination had been problems. “Could things person been done differently? Absolutely,” helium said.

Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who has been ostracized by galore successful the GOP for his disapproval of Trump, placed blasted for the concern connected some Trump and Biden. “The Trump medication failed successful the setup and the Biden medication failed successful the execution,” Kinzinger said.

Blinken tried to calmly deflect allegations of unpreparedness by noting that the Biden medication had inherited a U.S.-Taliban bid woody from its predecessor, on with a languishing programme to assistance visas to Afghans who had worked for the U.S. government.

Blinken, who had publically predicted successful June that a implicit Taliban takeover would not hap “from a Friday to a Monday,” besides tried to preempt disapproval of the prediction by noting that nary 1 successful the U.S. authorities expected the Afghan authorities to autumn arsenic rapidly arsenic it did.

“Even the astir pessimistic assessments did not foretell that authorities forces successful Kabul would illness portion U.S. forces remained,” Blinken said successful prepared remarks released up of his appearance. He besides defended the evacuation effort, saying it succeeded contempt adjacent insurmountable odds.

“The evacuation was an bonzer effort — nether the astir hard conditions imaginable — by our diplomats, military, and quality professionals,” helium said. “In the end, we completed 1 of the biggest airlifts successful history, with 124,000 radical evacuated to safety.”

But Republicans, successful particular, person been demanding answers arsenic to wherefore American citizens were near down successful the chaotic days and weeks earlier the subject completed its withdrawal connected Aug. 30.

In a preview of GOP questions, the Republican National Committee released a connection earlier Monday with the banner header “Fire Blinken,” demanding that helium beryllium held to relationship for what it described arsenic a litany of failings.

After the much than five-hour proceeding concluded, the GOP committee doubled down connected its demand.

“Today’s proceeding makes Blinken’s failures and lies abundantly clear,” RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said. “Biden has nary prime but to occurrence Blinken, clasp him accountable, and instrumentality work for the catastrophe helium created.”

Some Republicans appeared to person beryllium spoiling for a combat with the mostly unflappable Blinken. Rep. Bryan Mast of Florida accused Blinken of lying erstwhile helium denied that quality had been manipulated to enactment Biden’s tendency to retreat U.S. troops. “I bash not judge a connection you person said,” helium told Blinken.

In a uncommon amusement of temper, Blinken replied: “Simply put, what you said congressman, is dormant wrong.”

Blinken is precise adjacent to Biden and his occupation arsenic America’s apical diplomat is astir surely safe, but disapproval of the administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal has not been constricted to Republicans.

Numerous Democrats person besides questioned the argumentation and expressed interest astir stranded Americans, greenish paper holders and Afghans who could look retaliation from the Taliban due to the fact that of their enactment oregon ties to the U.S. authorities implicit the past 20 years.

State Department officials person acknowledged that the legislature hearings could beryllium contentious and perchance ugly, but galore stay convinced the U.S. subject and different officials did the champion they could nether highly trying circumstances — including the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy successful Kabul and the crush of thousands of hopeless radical astatine Kabul’s airdrome seeking to permission the country.