Democratic California Rep. Barbara Lee said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” President Joe Biden does not deserve any blame for the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.
A State Department report released Friday concluded that both the Biden and Trump administrations contributed to the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. Investigators said the State Department’s operation “was hindered by the fact that it was unclear who in the Department had the lead.” The report found the Biden administration failed to mobilize and position the necessary personnel to conduct a smooth evacuation, citing in part the lack of experienced senior leadership and coordination.
“You notably were the only member of the U.S. House of Representatives to vote against authorizing the war in Afghanistan in 2001. Now, of course, the State Department report on the chaotic Afghan withdrawal effort found that the Biden Administration failed to prepare for the worst case scenarios and ultimately many of them came to pass. I know you supported the goal of leaving Afghanistan. Do you think President Biden deserves some blame for the way that that withdrawal spiraled out of control?” host Jake Tapper asked.
“I don’t believe the administration deserves any blame for this. We have to remember that Donald Trump made this agreement with the Taliban. Secondly, the Trump administration literally gutted our State Department and our diplomatic core. I believe that the State Department and those who were involved in this — you know, end of the Afghanistan war, which should have happened before then, I believe, did the best they could. But having said that, it wasn’t as smooth as we would have liked to have seen it,” Lee said. (RELATED: Former CIA Officer Rips Biden For Denying ‘Facts On The Ground’ About Admin Failure With Afghanistan Withdrawal)
“And, in fact, we still have to fund our State Department and our diplomats just like we’re funding the Defense department. I believe that had we stayed in Afghanistan, we’d be there another 20 years. There was no military solution. That’s why I voted against that overly broad authorization in 2001 which was a 60-word authorization that set the stage for forever wars.”
When asked if he would admit “there was mistakes during the withdrawal and before,” Biden denied responsibility
“No, no,” Biden said. “All the evidence is coming back. Do you remember what I said about Afghanistan? I said al-Qaeda would not be there, I said it wouldn’t be there. I said we’d get help from the Taliban. What’s happening now? What’s going on? Read your press. I was right. Thanks.”