The father of a Marine killed in a bombing during the American evacuation from Afghanistan blasted the Biden administration for “doubling down” on calling its evacuation of the country a success.
“The administration just keeps doubling down on their success of — what they call a success,” Mark Schmitz, the father of Lance Cpl. Gerald Schmitz, told “Fox and Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt Tuesday about the chaotic evacuation of American forces from Kabul. “The Democratic Party, you know, they will give you their condolences, but then turn around and just play the blame game instead of actually looking at the big picture here. We’re finding out little bits of information as more Marines step forward.” (RELATED: ‘What Are You Covering Up?’: Gold Star Parent Hints At Biden Admin Scrubbing Footage Of Kabul Bombing)
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A State Department spokesperson called the botched withdrawal the “correct policy choice” during a press briefing held two days after families of the fallen servicemen ripped the Biden administration over the attack at an Aug. 7 forum held by Republican Rep. Darryl Issa of California. Schmitz’s son was one of 13 servicemembers killed in an Aug. 26, 2021 bombing as American forces were evacuating from Kabul, while 10 civilians were killed in a retaliatory drone strike.
“We have been having meetings with Foreign Affairs Chair McCaul, Congressman Issa,” Schmitz said. “We feel that we’re starting to get some answers, but not enough. We were really, honestly, relying on the Democratic Party to step up.”
The Taliban marked the second anniversary of the American withdrawal by declaring a holiday to celebrate the “great victory,” Fox News reported. The botched evacuation led to calls for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley to resign.
“There is nothing we can do to change what’s happened,” Schmitz said. “It’s never going to bring our kids back, but we want to make sure that the rest of our military that’s out there serving us right now is never going to be facing a situation like this again where they could potentially be killed for no reason.”
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