(RepublicanReport.org) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared before Congress this week to face questions on the US military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. The failed attempt to evacuate all Americans and allies before the August 31 deadline was a disaster. There was never any doubt that the administration would face a massive public outcry given the loss of military and civilian lives and that Secretary Blinken, in particular, would be subject to a grilling about these missteps. One of his firmest critics was Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Cruz didn’t hold back in his assessment of the withdrawal, calling it the worst mistake made in terms of foreign policy “in a generation.” The senator also claimed the military disaster had “emboldened” foreign adversaries of the US.
“Utterly indefensible” @tedcruz slams Biden admin handling of Afghanistan withdrawal in hearings with Sec. of State Antony Blinken pic.twitter.com/RPXlDgaseW
— CPAC 2022 (@CPAC) September 14, 2021
After his initial statement, Cruz asked Secretary Blinken whether the US government had provided the Taliban with names of American citizens and allies to secure their safe passage out of Afghanistan. Blinken was unclear in his response. He initially answered Cruz’s question in the negative. Yet, he confessed moments later that the Taliban did, in fact, receive manifests listing the names of people supposed to be leaving the country.
Ted Cruz also highlighted the improper treatment of women and children under the Taliban regime, citing child marriage and widespread domestic abuse reports. In response, Blinken referred to a “limited number of cases” in which US authorities intervened on behalf of victims of this kind of misconduct.
The exit from Afghanistan may be over, but it looks like the resulting fallout for the Biden administration is just getting started.
Copyright 2021, RepublicanReport.org
