Sen. Bob Menendez Blames Trump, Biden For Afghanistan Crisis

NEW JERSEY — If you’re looking for someone to blame for this week’s historic upheaval in Afghanistan – which some are comparing to the fall of Saigon – the U.S. presidency is a good place to start, according to Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey.

And that includes both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, he says.

On Sunday, Taliban forces swept into Afghanistan's capital after the government collapsed, signaling the end of a costly, two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country. Though the Taliban have promised a peaceful transition, waves of Afghans have been rushing to leave the country.

Some are fearful that the kind of rule that all but eliminated women's rights in the nation years ago will return; others are fearful of possible “revenge killings.”

• See related article: Taliban Sweep Into Afghan Capital After Government Collapses
• See related article: Biden 'Squarely Behind' Decision To Leave Afghanistan: Replay

On Tuesday, Sen. Menendez – the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee– said he blames decades of failed U.S. policy for the current chaos.

Menendez, a Democratic Party member, released the following statement about what he called the “Taliban takeover” of Afghanistan:

“After two decades of blood and treasure including thousands of American and Afghan lives, I am horrified and saddened by the chaos engulfing Afghanistan. My heart goes out to the Afghan people whose suffering will inevitably be greater under a Taliban regime determined to wipe out all of the hard-fought gains made for the rights of Afghan women, minorities and other vulnerable groups.

“The events of recent days have been the culmination of a series of mistakes made by Republican and Democratic administrations over the past 20 years. For years, I have argued that the withdrawal of U.S. forces must leave a durable political settlement in place. The wholly inadequate agreement the Trump administration made with the Taliban did not get commitments for the Taliban to break ties with Al Qaeda, nor did it account for the day after our withdrawal. In implementing this flawed plan, I am disappointed that the Biden administration clearly did not accurately assess the implications of a rapid U.S. withdrawal. We are now witnessing the horrifying results of many years of policy and intelligence failures.

“Today, we need to focus on the immediate and vital necessity of evacuating Americans as well as those vulnerable Afghans, especially women, journalists, and civil society activists who spent the past twenty years advocating for a more democratic Afghanistan who the Taliban is targeting right now. Our nation’s reputation is on the line and our whole government must be making every effort to achieve this objective. There were clear policy execution and intelligence failures associated with our withdrawal and its aftermath. How the U.S. handles the evacuation over the next few days will have implications well beyond Afghanistan and will impact our ability to build coalitions and work with partners moving forward.

“We are grateful to all the service members, diplomats, and NGO workers who have served and sacrificed in Afghanistan during the last two decades, especially those working around the clock during the last 72 hours to evacuate Americans and Afghans safely.

“The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will continue fulfilling its oversight role with a hearing on U.S. policy towards Afghanistan, including the Trump administration’s flawed negotiations with Taliban, and the Biden administration’s flawed execution of the U.S. withdrawal. The Committee will seek a full accounting for these shortcomings as well as assess why the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces collapsed so quickly. Congress was told repeatedly that the Afghan Defense and Security Forces were up to the task, that it had the troops, equipment and willingness to fight. To see this army dissolve so quickly after billions of dollars in U.S. support is astounding. The American and Afghan people clearly have not been told the truth about the ANDSF’s capacity and deserve answers. Finally, the Committee will examine the path forward, focused on the international response to the looming humanitarian and human rights catastrophe under a Taliban-led regime.”

The senator’s statement comes as the nation prepares to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, as well as the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

• See related article: U.S. Troops Leaving Afghanistan (5 Things To Know)
• See related article: Taliban Victory Was Inevitable Despite The Trillions U.S. Spent

Menendez was among dozens of U.S. senators, including his New Jersey peer, Cory Booker, who urged the Biden administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to take “swift, robust action” to protect women, activists, human rights defenders, parliamentarians, journalists and other vulnerable people.

And that includes giving a “fast, humane, and efficient relocation to the United States” to those who want one, the senators said.

“We greatly appreciate your efforts to help save the lives of Afghans who have advanced U.S. and Afghan joint interests over the last generation, standing for peace, democracy and equality,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are all in agreement that we owe them our unqualified support.”

• See related article: NJ Refugee Agency Awaits Incoming Afghans With Open Arms

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