Testifying in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Tuesday afternoon, former U.S. Central Command Commander General Kenneth McKenzie claimed a policy directive, not defensive decisions made by the Department of Defense or military on the ground, led to the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members in August 2021.
WATCH: General Frank McKenzie testifies to Congress that the tragedy that unfolded at Abbey Gate during the Afghanistan withdrawal should be 100% blamed on policy decisions.
— 🇺🇸Travis🇺🇸 (@Travis_in_Flint) March 19, 2024
He testified that the Department of State failed to do their job when moving forward with a proper… pic.twitter.com/GsV4bL7qlN
U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Tyler Vargas-Andrews, a sniper, testified last year that he asked for authorization to take out the suicide bomber and was denied.
Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, a U.S. Marine Corps sniper, tells Congress that he was denied permission to shoot the suicide bomber in Afghanistan that killed 13 service members and over 170 civilians:
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) March 8, 2023
"Plain and simple, we were ignored. Our expertise was disregarded. No one was… pic.twitter.com/A8mxNlKFkS
The Biden administration maintains that the catastrophic and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan was a "success" and the "greatest airlift in history." President Joe Biden has said he was no regrets about the way things happened. Biden also denies rejecting advice given to him by Generals to keep a small force of U.S. troops in the country.
Biden: "No, they didn't."
— Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) September 28, 2021
Biden: "That wasn't true."
Biden: "No. No one said that to me that I can recall."
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McKenzie: "I recommended that we maintain 2,500 troops"
McKenzie: "I'm confident that the President heard all the recommendations"https://t.co/Cjc8eM3wSQ | @RudyTakala pic.twitter.com/H9DWK9jPha
The families of the fallen have been ignored by the White House. Gold Star father Steve Nikoui was arrested and charged after shouting out "Remember Abbey Gate" during Biden's State of the Union address on Capitol Hill.
Today, the Gold Star Families of the 13 U.S. servicemembers killed in the botched Afghanistan withdrawal publicly shared their heartbreaking stories of loss — and their fight for accountability from the Biden administration.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 7, 2023
WATCH IN FULL: pic.twitter.com/oYEOWPvCZ4
TWO YEARS AGO TODAY:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 29, 2023
Joe Biden shamefully checks his watch during the dignified transfer of the 13 servicemembers killed in his botched Afghanistan withdrawal. pic.twitter.com/tEHnrMmapi
