(HorizonPost.com) – President Biden ignored warnings from US officials prior to the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to Republicans. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said he has seen a document from the State Department, known as a dissent cable. The file reveals that Americans on the ground in Afghanistan warned the White House of an impending disaster.
“The dissenters were absolutely right about everything they said, and it was a warning to the administration about what was going to happen and what they needed to do,” McCaul said. He added that the White House refused to heed the warnings and “we got what we got.”
The document only came to light after weeks of attempts by Republicans to access information on the withdrawal. McCaul issued a series of subpoenas to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, but Blinken refused to comply. McCaul threatened to hold the Secretary of State in contempt of Congress in May.
Following non-compliance with three subpoenas, Blinken offered to provide a briefing to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. McCaul accepted this but still insisted the subpoenas be honored because the briefing did not provide all the information he wanted to see.
Texas Rep. McCaul and Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY) have now viewed the dissent cable. McCaul said the whole committee has the right to see the records and he will work with fellow Congress members to bring this about.
US forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021. President Trump negotiated the exit and set a leaving date of May 1st, 2021. Biden delayed that date but when the withdrawal did take place, it was immediately followed by a Taliban takeover. Images of people trying to flee the country were broadcast all over the world – including people holding on to the outside of airplanes as they took off.
Biden blamed the botched withdrawal on Donald Trump, while Trump called the exit the biggest embarrassment America had ever suffered.
Copyright 2023, HorizonPost.com
