With Congressional Probes Looming, More Dems Ditch Biden Over Afghan Crisis – CatholicVote org

As the humanitarian crisis worsens in Afghanistan and congressional probes loom, more Democrats are pointing their fingers at President Joe Biden for allowing the country to fall so swiftly into radical Islamist hands. In a televised address this week, Biden blamed the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country on Aug. 15 — two weeks ahead of a scheduled U.S. withdrawal — on both Donald Trump and the Afghan military’s unwillingness to fight. But Jordain Carney reported for The Hill on Aug. 18 that Biden’s support on Capitol Hill has swiftly evaporated in a growing backlash against this explanation, leaving him with “few allies” in his party outside of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. While the latter have issued talking points to Democratic legislators in an effort to rally behind Biden, some leading officials have already broken ranks. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-NJ, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, agreed with Biden that the Trump administration’s agreement with the Taliban was “wholly inadequate.” But he still blamed Biden for mishandling the U.S. withdrawal in a way that allowed the repressive militants to quickly displace the legitimate Afghan government, which had held power for 20 years since American troops liberated the country after 9/11.  “I am disappointed that the Biden administration clearly did not accurately assess the implications of a rapid U.S. withdrawal,” Menendez said. 

With Congressional Probes Looming, More Dems Ditch Biden Over Afghan Crisis – CatholicVote org