GOP Congressman Blames Trump Administrator for Afghanistan Crisis: “They Failed This”

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By Devan Cole, CNN

Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger on Sunday blamed the Trump administration for the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, saying his 2020 deal with the Taliban sowed the seeds for the turbulent US exit from the country.

“Let’s keep in mind that (former Secretary of State) Mike Pompeo met the Taliban. As Donald Trump said publicly: “We must leave Afghanistan at all costs. It’s not worth it, ‘Mike Pompeo meets the Taliban and tries to negotiate something, “Kinzinger, who represents Illinois, told CNN’s Brianna Keilar on” State of the Union. “

“They put this in place to fail. But still, of course, Joe Biden could have easily turned the tide and used it instead as an excuse to get out, ”he added.

Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, told Keilar that “both sides have failed the American people and this cannot continue. And it certainly cannot continue by pointing fingers when America is embarrassed in front of the world. “

Kinzinger’s comments add to some of the few criticisms within the party that have been leveled at the Trump administration in recent days as the United States rushes to evacuate American citizens and Afghan allies from the country after its Civilian government in Kabul fell to Taliban fighters last weekend.

After years of negotiations, the Taliban and the Trump administration finally signed a peace accord in 2020. The United States agreed to withdraw its troops and release some 5,000 Taliban prisoners, while the Taliban agreed to take measures to prevent any group or individual, including al-Qaeda, from using Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States or its allies.

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CNN’s Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.

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