President Joe Biden Bows His Head During Afghanistan Pullout Address To American Public - Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
WASHINGTON D.C. (WSAU) – A recently released report sheds light on what led to the decision that resulted in American service members being killed in the line of duty during the summer of 2021 pullout from Afghanistan.
According to the Wall Street Journal, President Biden couldn’t be reached as his aides attempted to keep Biden’s mental and physical decline a secret including from Democrat Rep. Adam Smith, chair of the House Armed Services Committee, who tried to warn him that the plan to leave Afghanistan could become disastrous.
During his interview with the Journal, Smith stated that he “was begging them to set expectations low,” but he was unable to get the president on the phone, which he claimed was a recurring theme during Biden’s tenure in office explaining that the only time he spoke with the president during his four-year term was when he called him to apologize in the days following the pullout.
The evacuation concluded the longest conflict in US history and left the Taliban in control, claiming the lives of 13 US service personnel. Additionally, the US left about $7 billion worth of military hardware, including weapons that were taken by Taliban forces after they overran the Kabul airbase.
Beginning nearly immediately after taking office, Biden would change or cancel meetings based on his performance, according to the Journal. The president “has good days and bad days, and today was a bad day, so we’re going to address this tomorrow,” a national security official informed an aide in the spring of 2021.
Back in June, White House aides told Axios that the president could no longer do any events after 4 p.m. due to his age and failing mental fitness.
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