United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken was met with widespread criticism during a hearing on Monday when three Republican congressmen told him that he should resign from his position for his alleged failed response in Afghanistan and withdrawing American troops.
Blinken testified during a House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday where Rep. Joe Wilson blamed President Joe Biden's administration for letting the Taliban group take over the war-torn country. The GOP member said the Democratic party was responsible for the crisis at the U.S. southern border.
Criticism of Blinken's Response in Afghanistan
Wilson said that several individuals who were on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) terrorist watchlist were allowed to "enter American neighborhoods." The representative said the dangerous people were let to be "lone wolf suicide bombers" that could "murder as many Americans as possible."
The Republican said that American families have never been placed at much greater risk in history as compared to today. Wilson said that the global war on terrorism was not over and was moved from international land and into the United States, Fox News reported.
Wilson criticized the Biden administration's decision to pull out all remaining American troops from Afghanistan shortly after the militant group took over the capital on Aug. 15. The Republican said the withdrawal of the soldiers was the direct cause of the suicide bombing attack in Kabul on Aug. 26.
During the hearing, Blinken also blamed former President Donald Trump for handcuffing the Biden administration with his agreement with the Taliban group. The former Republican president's deal with the insurrection group reduced the number of U.S. troops in the country by 2,500 by the time Biden was seated as the U.S. president.
Blinken noted that with the militant group continuing its reign of terror in Afghanistan after the agreement, Biden was left with a choice between "ending the war or escalating it." The secretary of state said that if the Democratic president did not follow through with Trump's commitment, the Taliban would have resumed its attacks on American forces and allies, Politico reported.
Investigation of Biden's Afghanistan Withdrawal
Biden's withdrawal is already being investigated by several Democratic-led congressional committees that threaten the Democrat's efforts to justify his decision. While Republicans prioritized the recent events in Afghanistan during the hearing, Democrats have criticized mistakes made under both presidents' administrations.
Blinken also said that even the most "pessimistic assessments" of the Kabul situation did not anticipate that the withdrawal of American troops in the city would result in the collapse of Kabul's forces. The secretary of state said that Biden's administration prepared a wide range of contingencies to prepare for any potential situation in Afghanistan.
The chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, defended the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. He said that there was no scenario where a similar decision would have gone smoothly. Meeks also told other lawmakers who were skeptical of Biden's decision to detail how they would have handled the situation that would guarantee a safer and more effective withdrawal of the U.S. soldiers, CNN reported.
Related Article: Two Democratic Lawmakers Push for Vaccine Mandates for All Domestic Travelers; Fauci Supports Proposal But Will Biden Back It?
