Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah on Sunday made the case that the chaotic exit from Afghanistan leaves the U.S. in greater danger over the long term — a crisis he pinned on moves by both the Biden and Trump administrations.
As a few thousand troops remain to help evacuate U.S. forces, American civilians, at-risk Afghan interpreters and other allies after the rapid takeover of the government by the Taliban, Romney told CNN that the U.S. withdrawal didn’t have to play out this way. He suggested the U.S. should not allow Americans and allies to be left behind, even as the Biden administration tries to meet an Aug. 31 deadline amid ongoing terror threats.
On Thursday, a suicide bomber killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. servicemen and women at a gate outside Kabul’s international airport, where thousands have gathered in recent days trying to escape Taliban rule.
“Leaving Americans behind and leaving our Afghan friends behind who worked with us will put on us a moral stain,” Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, said. “And this is the result of very ineffective decisions, terrible decisions, by the previous administration and the current administration. This didn’t have to happen. It was preventable.”
Romney, a Republican, bashed Biden’s decision to close the Bagram Air Base and the Trump administration’s direct negotiations with the Taliban — including Trump’s talk of inviting the repressive group to Camp David. He also cited the Trump administration’s opening of a prison of 5,000 Taliban and potentially members of ISIS-K, the group behind Thursday’s terror attack.
Romney credited the U.S. military for its efforts, but argued, “We didn’t have to be in this rush-rush circumstance with terrorists breathing down our neck. But it’s really the responsibility of the prior administration and this administration that has caused this crisis to be upon us.”
Leaving Afghanistan right now is a mistake, he added.
“The idea that we could pull out of a dangerous place where radical violent jihadists are organizing — that we could pull out of that and that is going to stop them — that’s fantasy,” he said. “They’ll continue in their effort to regroup and come after America.”
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, a Democrat who visited Afghanistan in secret along with another veteran, Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan, told CNN the evacuation is not organized, with “haphazard requests coming in from members of Congress and members of the administration.”
On top of providing security at the airport gates, service members, Moulton said, are “behind the wire in the airport to simply identify which ones we need to get, to sift through thousands and thousands of requests, and figure out which ones we need to bring over the wire. So the system is not working very well.”
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Romney… just go away. please. You want to blame Trump, when Trump kept them at bay for how long? 18 months without a single soldier killed. Who had to extend the deadline because he felt it wasn’t safe, who attacked the Taliban after the agreement was made because they attacked the Afghan army…
No matter how hard you try, the American people are so much smarter than you are. We know Trump would have never gotten rid of the Bagram Air Base, he would never have pulled the troops out before the civilians, he would never have handed them a list of every American and Afghanistan person along with the biometrics database and equipment to find them, and most of all… he would never, ever be in a position of such weakness that he would allow the Taliban to dictate to him when we have to leave.
I cannot believe I once supported this guy… I am so ashamed of myself.
Trump kept the taliban at bay more than just 18 months..
Listening to Romney, it sounds like unless the enemy is sound asleep the U.S. is unable to win War. No battle has ever started with perfect conditions on the battlefield. Blaming it on Trump doesn’t fly any more. You’ve over used it. I can only hope that the people in Utah are paying attention.
Well, if by his illogic “The us is too inept to ever win another war”, fine. DO AWAY WITH THE ENTIRE dept of defense, and te defense industry!
“Romney, a Republican”? Romney is a RINO Democrat communist, who is nothing but a self serving low life traitor. Romney blaming Trump for Afghanistan, even though Trump is not President? Romney, there is no difference between you and Benedict Arnold.
You sure it wasn’t Bush’s fault, Mitt? Looks like you’re covering your bases on this one.
“Romney told CNN that the U.S. withdrawal didn’t have to play out this way.” You are correct on that point, but Mr Biden screwed that up—not Donald Trump.
“And this is the result of very ineffective decisions, terrible decisions, by the previous administration and the current administration. This didn’t have to happen. It was preventable.” The previous administration was not a party to what happened with the troop pullout. You’re becoming more and more like your Democrat counterparts—so much so that you are, in effect, a Republicrat—you want to finger-point and name-call—but only at the other side because they are the ones who are always wrong by default.
Trump has taken over for bush, in being their go-too bashing bag.
Dr0p deeed, Mittens!
Did he take a stupid pill. ??? He needs to stay out of the democrats pill cabinet.
IF so, he’s been taking it since he WAS BORN!
Just think, this guy was the Republican candidate in 2012. So the choice really was between a democrat and another democrat.
“As a few thousand troops remain to help evacuate U.S. forces, American civilians, at-risk Afghan interpreters and other allies…”
Can you really call it “remaining” when they have in truth been re-inserted?
President Trump had a planned withdrawal in the works. Biden said he doesn’t know how that happens without chaos….and replaces President Trump’s plan with his own chaos and President Trump is somehow responsible for that chaos?
OF course. If an asteroid flies in and levels a city. ITS ALL Trumps fault.
IF a tornado flattens a city in mosambeeq, its trump’s fault.
iF a sun goes nova, on the OTHER SIDE of the galaxy.
Its all trump’s fault.
Romney – one of the reasons why I have reduced my support of the GOP. I now support individuals and not the overall party. Too many rino types who want corporate funding, the fawning of the ML media and an appearance of “compromise” in the face of dem/leftist all out radical onslaughts. They bring the efforts of the good ones down. Romney is a hypocrite and I only hope that Utah voters will see through his act during their next republican primary.
Too many rino types
Lindsay Graham another perfect example ! Cry on TV for donations then vote yes for conformation of ALL 33 of Biden’s Judge requests. Why?
Where did Romnuts get his information? Those 5,000 prisoners were located in the bases that Numb Nuts Biden vacated and turned them over to the Taliban. They opened the doors to the prisons not Trump.
The article says that Romney is a Republican. NO. Romney is a Democrat. Romney is a Democrat. Romney is a Democrat. Remember always; Romney is a Democrat and then you will not be surprised when he talks like a Democrat, acts like a Democrat, and votes like his fellow Democrats.
Get this straight people… It’s NOT Biden’s fault… it’s the scum that’s in control of this useless lower orifice of the human body stenching up the oval office… The obamas… valerie jarret… david axelrod… susan rice… and I’d be surprised if that communist scum clapper doesn’t have his demon fingers in it.
romney is a habitual LOSER!
Are you listening Utah? Vote this betrayer out.