In a recent development in the House of Representatives, lawmakers voted to formally condemn President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and 13 other administration officials over their handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago. The resolution was passed by a 219 to 194 vote, with ten Democrats voting alongside 209 Republicans in favor of the measure.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) introduced the resolution earlier this month, seeking accountability for key decision-makers involved in the withdrawal. The text criticized these officials for their failure to plan for foreseeable contingencies and reliance on the Taliban to run checkpoints surrounding the airport. In addition, it pointed out that approximately 1,000 Americans were left behind during the chaotic withdrawal process.
The resolution condemned President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby, former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, State Department spokesperson Ned Price and former Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad. Other officials targeted by the resolution included Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer, White House Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, former Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources in the State Department Brian McKeon, former Chief of Mission to United States Embassy Kabul Ross Wilson, chief of staff to the Defense Secretary Derek Chollet and former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl.
This resolution comes as the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify during a hearing earlier this month. The full House will need to back the contempt measure, which would then be up to the Harris-Biden Justice Department to decide whether or not to pursue charges.
The resolution’s passage follows a blistering report released by McCaul’s panel earlier this month, which concluded that President Biden had his mind set on departing Afghanistan after more than 20 years of US-led military presence and disregarded the advice of both allies and the Afghan government. The House voted on the resolution to condemn the administration among other measures on Wednesday before its scheduled break for recess.
Earlier this month, Congress posthumously bestowed its highest honor – the Congressional Gold Medal – upon the 13 fallen service members in a ceremony with the Gold Star families in the Capitol Rotunda.
Defenders of Biden and Harris have sought to pin the blame for the deadly withdrawal on former President Donald Trump, who presided over the Doha Agreement negotiations with the Taliban which laid a framework for the exit provided conditions were met by the fundamentalists. During their presidential debate earlier this month, Vice President Kamala Harris stood by Biden’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan despite the controversy and deaths of servicemembers.
