US President Joe Biden comes under more attacks over the messy Afghan pullout, with Republican lawmaker Byron Donalds calling on him to “resign immediately” following the US “botched withdrawal” from Afghanistan.
“It has become clear that President Biden has lost complete and total confidence of the American people through this haphazard decision to withdraw from Afghanistan,” the Florida representative wrote in a statement.
“This botched withdrawal is currently threatening the lives of our servicemen and women, the stability in the region, and our integrity on the global stage,” Donalds added.
The congressman said Biden has failed in his duties as the US commander in chief.
“As Commander-in-Chief, Biden is directly responsible for commanding our brave troops with a coherent, strategically intelligence, and sound operation that keeps our Armed Services, citizens and allied partners out of harm’s way,” Donalds wrote.
“He has failed on all fronts,” he added.
Donalds joined a chorus of Republican lawmakers, including including Reps. Jefferson Van Drew (N.J.) and Andy Biggs (Ariz.), who have criticized Biden for his handling of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and an ensuing crisis after the Taliban seized control of the capital Kabul last weekend.
Donalds tweeted on Monday that, “Calling on the leader of the free world to resign his office immediately weighs heavy on my heart, but this must happen to restore American’s safety both at home & abroad, our honor, & faith in the Chief Executive to faithfully execute the duties of the Presidency.”
Former president Donald Trump also called on Biden to “resign in disgrace” over the Afghan situation, describing Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan the “greatest embarrassment” in the history of the United States.
House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (N.Y) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) also said Biden is unfit to hold office, and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has called on Biden’s entire defense and foreign policy team to resign.
Donalds, in his statement on Monday, said he cannot “in good faith” tell his constituents “that the President of the United States can perform the duties entrusted to him by the Constitution.”
Biden has remained committed to his decision to pull out American troops, saying in an address from the White House last week, “I stand squarely behind my decision.”
He has revealed that he might extend US troop deployments in Afghanistan beyond the August 31 deadline to continue facilitating the evacuation of American citizens and Afghan allies.
The Taliban have, however, warned against prolonging the US withdrawal beyond the August 31 deadline as American troops are still pushing ahead with an ill-prepared military pullout and a poorly-handled evacuation plan.
The Taliban took the Afghan capital, Kabul, on August 15, forcing the sitting Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, to flee.
Source: Agencies
