The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday tore into the White House for dismissing notions that America's pullout from Afghanistan was chaotic, and for trying to shift blame to the Trump administration for fostering unfavorable conditions for a withdrawal.
The senior Republican, Michael McCaul, R-Texas, is, through his committee, probing the Biden-led military withdrawal two years ago. In a statement, as reported by The Hill, McCaul slammed John Kirby, a White House spokesperson on national security issues, over earlier comments on the fraught matter.
"John Kirby's comments during today's White House press briefing were disgraceful and insulting," McCaul's statement said. "President Biden made the decision to withdraw and even picked the exact date; he is responsible for the massive failures in planning and execution."
Kirby's disputed comments came earlier Thursday, not long after the Pentagon and State Department provided Congress with classified reviews of the decision-making process around the withdrawal.
An outline from the Biden White House sought to assign blame for the challenging withdrawal to Trump's administration, even as it said there were lessons for all to glean and apply to future such missions.
McCaul, who is leading a congressional delegation to Taiwan, said he is looking forward to reviewing the Afghanistan report. He also urged further releases of classified material to help round out the picture of a withdrawal he and other critics have bluntly termed a "disaster."
Source: NEWSMAX