The world watched as President Biden completely botched the withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan. Billions of dollars of our military equipment was left behind, and thirteen servicemembers were killed because of the lack of planning from the White House.
The staffers at the American embassy in Kabul saw it coming. A month before Kabul fell to the hands of the Taliban, dozens of State Department employees took a dramatic step to voice their concerns, issuing what’s known as a “dissent cable.” It’s a way of telegraphing to the highest levels of leadership an urgent – and usually grave – message. It’s something that needs to be taken very seriously.
But when asked why President Biden did not heed to the warning from the embassy, he said “we got all kinds of cables.” It’s clear that he did not even read it.
To add insult to injury, President Biden refused to let Members of Congress or even the thirteen Gold Star families read the cable. It certainly seemed like he was trying to hide something. Thankfully, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee fought tooth and nail, and we finally got a chance to read the classified document – and I can tell you this: President Biden should’ve read it, and he should’ve listened. Instead, he prioritized optics and politics over safety and security of our troops, our allies, and the Afghan people.
This is unacceptable. As the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability, I will continue to demand answers from the Administration and hold President Biden accountable for the complete failure in Afghanistan.
