Republicans are vowing to hold President Joe Biden accountable for his handling of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal that has led to the death of at least 13 US servicemembers and over 100 Afghans.
As several GOP members have begun to push for impeachment or resignations, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) hinted at political repercussions for Biden, but stopped short of saying what those could be.
“I’m extremely frustrated with this president,” he told reporters on Friday. “There will be a day of reckoning.”
McCarthy said that the president has “lost” faith, trust and confidence of Americans, adding that the main concern right now is to get all Americans in Afghanistan safely out by the Aug. 31 troop withdrawal deadline.
The Biden administration has faced bipartisan backlash for the overall response to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, as well as their evacuation efforts of Americans and Afghan allies.
On Thursday, a deadly suicide bomb went off near the Kabul airport as hundreds attempted to board evacuation planes.
President Joe Biden has blamed ISIS for the deadly attack, vowing to respond with “force and precision.”
“We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation,” Biden said Thursday evening.
“To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay… We will respond with force and precision at our time and the place we choose and the moment of our choosing.”
Despite Biden’s firm words, McCarthy called the president’s address a “picture of weakness and incompetence.”
McCarthy has urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to convene Congress before the withdrawal deadline to ensure members can be “briefed thoroughly by the Administration and prohibit the withdrawal of our troops until every American is safely out.”
Since Thursday’s attack the number of GOP members calling for Biden’s resignation has grown to 23. The list includes Reps, Jim Banks (R-Id), Andy Biggs (R-Az), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga), Lance Gooden (R-Tx), Byron Donalds (R-Fl), Ronny Jackson (R-Tx), Greg Steube (R-Fl), Mike Garcia (R-Ca), Jody Hice (R-Ga,) Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo), Tom Rice (R-Sc), Lauren Boebert (R-Co), Mike Waltz (R-Fl), Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa), Mark Green (R-Tn), Lee Zeldin (R-Ny), Warren Davidson (R-Tn), Kevin Hern (R-Ok), Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga), and Roger Williams (R-Tx).
Rep. Rice, one of the only 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump earlier this year, fumed on Twitter, and called for Biden to “turn over the job to someone who can handle it.”
“Joe Biden has blood on his hands. The buck stops with the President of the United States,” Rep. Stefanik posted. “This horrific national security and humanitarian disaster is solely the result of Joe Biden’s weak and incompetent leadership. He is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.”
Three senators calling for Biden’s resignation include Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tn), Roger Marshall (R-Ks), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo).
On Twitter, Blackburn called for Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Milley to “resign or face impeachment and removal from office.”
“To say that today’s loss of American lives in Kabul is sickening does not begin to do justice to what has happened. It is enraging. And Joe Biden is responsible. It is now clear beyond all doubt that he has neither the capacity nor the will to lead. He must resign,” Hawley said in a tweet.
