Murphy Comments On Afghanistan Withdrawal
Let's dive into some heated political drama that unfolded recently involving Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT). On Monday, Murphy stirred up quite a bit of controversy by blaming former President Donald Trump for the chaotic and tragic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members during an ISIS suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
Murphy took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to claim that Trump "owns the Afghanistan withdrawal" because he had negotiated a deal with the Taliban, which Murphy argued left President Biden with no choice but to execute a "chaotic exit." Murphy's statement was in response to remarks Trump made at the National Guard Association of the United States conference in Detroit, where Trump criticized Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for what he described as a "humiliation" in Afghanistan that damaged America's global credibility.
President Trump honors the 13 heroes killed in the Harris-Biden botched Afghanistan withdrawal three years ago today pic.twitter.com/1KZMHvnV4h
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 26, 2024
Backlash Erupts Dem Senator Tries to Blame Trump for Biden's Afghanistan Exit. Murphy's attempt to shift blame to Trump didn’t sit well with many, and the backlash was swift and fierce. Critics pointed out that Biden had full control over the execution of the withdrawal and could have altered Trump's timeline if he chose to.
After all, Biden had publicly taken responsibility for the withdrawal during a press conference in January 2022, where he acknowledged the challenges of ending a 20-year war and defended his decision.
To add more context, Vice President Kamala Harris had previously confirmed in an interview with CNN that she was indeed the "last person in the room" when Biden made the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. Harris expressed her comfort with the decision at the time, further emphasizing the administration's ownership of the situation.
Kamala Harris was the last person in the room when the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan was ordered, leading to 13 American service members being killed. Harris bragged about her role on-camera. pic.twitter.com/jGEWx68pff
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) August 26, 2024
Many voices in the political and military communities pushed back against Murphy’s narrative. For instance, the popular Military Arms Channel didn’t mince words, expressing outrage over Murphy’s attempt to pin the blame on Trump. Similarly, political commentator Stephen L. Miller and RealClearPolitics senior writer Mark Hemingway criticized Murphy for what they saw as an attempt to deny responsibility.
Even within the broader context of U.S. negotiations with the Taliban, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) highlighted that both Bush and Obama had also engaged with the Taliban, yet it was Biden who decided on an unconditional withdrawal—pulling U.S. military forces before ensuring the safe evacuation of civilians and allies, which directly contributed to the chaos that ensued.