State Dept’s top chief defends Afghanistan withdrawal under fierce grilling by GOP lawmakers

Nearly two weeks after the hastened withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the chaos and criticism that followed, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday blamed former President Donald Trump for dropping the ball.

Appearing via video link, Blinken told a House committee the U.S. had no good choices once it decided to pull all troops out of Afghanistan.

“We inherited a deadline,” Blinken said. “We did not inherit the plan.”

Grilled by Republicans on why the withdrawal wasn’t delayed, Blinken said it wouldn’t have helped.

“There’s no evidence that staying longer would have made the Afghan security forces or the Afghan government any more resilient or self-sustaining,” Blinken told lawmakers. “If 20 years and hundreds of billions of dollars in support, equipment, and training did not suffice, why would another year, or five, or 10, make a difference?”

Blinken said Trump effectively tied President Biden’s hands by signing a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban without creating a viable plan for executing the withdrawal.

The nation’s top diplomat will remain on the hot seat over Afghanistan later this week when he appears before a similar Senate panel.

Along with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Blinken has faced bruising attacks over the lightning-fast collapse of the previous Afghan government and the chaotic first hours of the effort to get Americans and allies out of the country.