UTAH, Aug. 17, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Utah’s top politician’s have weighted in on Pres. Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and fast fall to Taliban forces.
Some were quick to blame Biden and state their beliefs that handling it differently could have caused less potential damage to Afghanistan and America’s reputation.
Others, including Gov. Spencer Cox, focused on offering supporting refugees.
The tweets shared by Utah’s governor, U.S. senators, and the three U.S. representatives who posted message follow:
Cox released the following statement:
“We’re dismayed by the chaos descending on Afghanistan. Utah stands ready to welcome refugees from this war-torn country, especially those who valiantly helped our troops over the past 20 years. We must stand by America’s allies.”
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Sen. Mike Lee tweeted the following statement:
“After two decades of heroism from Americans in uniform, all is being undone in Afghanistan. Starting, expanding, and continuing a military conflict should never be easy, and these difficulties remind us that there were good reasons why the founders made it difficult to start a war. While it has long been the right policy to navigate a withdrawal from our nation’s longest war, the lack of adequate planning, security, and management has placed brave Americans and others at risk.
“I pray for the safety of those Americans still in harm’s way, and I will continue to hold President Biden to account for this historic failure.”
Rep. Mike Lee. Photo: Twitter/Rep. Mike Lee
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Sen. Mitt Romney tweeted his frustration.
“The President’s failure to acknowledge his disasterous withdraw provides no comfort to Americans or our Afghan partners whose lives hang in the balance. Contrary to his claims, our choice was not between a hasty and ill-prepared retreat or staying forever. The decision to place a higher priority on political promise than on the lives of innocent men, women and children is a stain on America’s reputation and undermines our credibility around the world.”
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Rep. Chris Stewart tweeted multiple messages, including the following:
“It pains me to see a mistake of this magnitude, but I could not in good conscious witness this level of failure without demanding accountability. Both Sec Def Austin and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Milley should acknowledge their failure and resign.”
“These two things are not mutually exclusive, and in fact are both true: First, withdrawing our combat troops from Afghanistan was the right policy. Second, organizing an orderly withdrawal could have been achieved by competent leadership.”
“President Biden recently said the Taliban would not take over Afghanistan. Was he lying to the American people, or did he have no understanding of the situation?”
And most recently:
“Yesterday, I hoped President Biden would accept responsibility and explain how he would fix the catastrophe in Afghanistan. Instead, he blamed his three predecessors and the Afghans who fought beside our troops for 20 years. Finger-pointing won’t solve this crisis, #POTUS.”
“Democrats and Republicans may disagree on many things, but we can agree that Biden has shown he’s incompetent, empathy-free and dishonest. Unfortunate for our Afghan friends who trusted us. #TimeToResign.”
