Last week, President Biden’s top defense advisors: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, and Commander of U.S. Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie, testified before Congress on the events leading up to the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Unfortunately, we did not learn anything we did not already know.
Repeatedly, President Biden told us the Afghanistan withdrawal was a success. Even after lives were lost, weapons stolen, and Americans abandoned, he continued to call this a success. We know this withdrawal was a complete and utter failure. General Milley said it himself: this was a strategic failure and American credibility is damaged.
During the hearing, Secretary Austin, General McKenzie, and General Milley testified that they recommended the U.S. keep 2,500 troops on the ground in Afghanistan. But in an interview with ABC back in August, President Biden said he was not given this recommendation. There must be accountability for the withdrawal, but also for those who are now lying to cover it up. Americans deserve the truth.
This is a very personal issue to me. My team and I are continuing to work around the clock to rescue abandoned American citizens who want to get out. We have had tremendous success, but we are not done yet. Just this Sunday, we were able to get seven people out of Afghanistan and into safety. Unfortunately, there are a handful, a 2-year-old and 3-year-old included, who did not make it due to the State Department’s refusal to help.
Where the Biden Administration has shown weakness, the American people have shown true strength. I cannot begin to tell you of the number of veterans who have contacted me, some from all the way back to the Vietnam War, and offered to assist our cause in any way they could. Brave patriots, ex-Special Forces, and caring civilians who want to step up and answer the call to help have made their voices known. I also want to recognize those who have opened their countries and helped innocent Afghans escape Taliban rule. We cannot stop until every American is home.
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