On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joined the ranks of Republican leaders condemning President Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Speaking at a press conference in Kentucky, McConnell said that Biden “owns” the debacle in Afghanistan, fearing that the optics of American weakness will embolden terrorists around the world.
“I think Afghanistan is lost. Every terrorist around the world is cheering in Syria, in Yemen, in Africa. They’ve watched the Taliban … defeat America in effect,” McConnell said.
“It’s a sad day for the United States of America. … He owns it,” he added.
In an interview with the Kentucky TV station WDRB, McConnell also criticized Biden’s attempt to blame former President Trump for his failure in Afghanistan, arguing that the current president did not prepare enough for the mayhem that unfolded over the weekend:
Now if he insisted on getting out, at least he could have planned it. This administration couldn’t organize a two-car funeral. An utter disaster, we witnessed it on the screen:. People clinging to the side of the airplanes, desperate, trying to get out of there because they know they’re going to be killed by the Taliban because they were collaborating with us.
“What does that say to friends of America around the world? You can’t depend on us. When we turn our back on you, you’re in trouble. So this is a debacle of gargantuan proportions,” he added.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was equally incensed by the situation in Afghanistan and criticized President Joe Biden’s speech on Monday for failing to answer questions about how and why the pullout devolved into mayhem:
After six days of silence, President Biden finally addressed the worst foreign policy disaster in decades. His remarks did not answer any questions about the disastrous troop withdrawal that has failed to protect American citizens, put thousands of American troops in harm’s way, and heightened the threat of terrorism around the world. But President Biden is right about one thing: the buck stops with him. He owes the American people a cohesive plan to get every American out of Afghanistan immediately and safely, target terrorists wherever they seek refuge, and secure our border.
On Sunday, reports indicated that thousands of Americans, not to mention Afghan allies, are currently stranded in Afghanistan as the Taliban continues to take control of cities, highways, and thoroughfares.
The State Department and Department of Defense said in a statement Sunday:
Tomorrow and over the coming days, we will be transferring out of the country thousands of American citizens who have been resident in Afghanistan, as well as locally employed staff of the U.S. mission in Kabul and their families and other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals.
Speaking with Fox News on Monday, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) scolded President Biden for failing to address the Americans currently stuck behind enemy lines in Afghanistan.
“The president seemed totally oblivious to the conditions on the ground,” Cotton said. “He acted as if this withdrawal is going in an orderly fashion, when, in fact, we have hundreds, if not thousands of Americans stuck behind Taliban lines who have no clear instructions on how to get to the airport and get out of the country. Joe Biden didn’t say a word to them.”
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