Secretary of State Antony Blinken 'has failed to faithfully uphold his oath,' House Republicans argue
Two House Republicans are introducing articles of impeachment on Friday, arguing that Secretary of State Antony Blinken failed to properly advise the president and abandoned American interests in Afghanistan.
"Secretary Blinken has failed to faithfully uphold his oath and has instead presided over a reckless abandonment of our nation’s interests, security, and values in his role in the withdrawal of American forces and diplomatic assets from Afghanistan," reads the articles.
They add that "[i]n direct conflict with the intelligence and advice provided by his own diplomats and the intelligence community, Secretary Blinken failed to advise and counsel the President accordingly and did not inform the Congress nor American citizens at home and abroad of the dangers."
The move by Rep Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Rep Andy Harris, R-Md., comes as many Republicans have called for some level of accountability for the attacks that left 13 U.S. service members dead Thursday.
"Under the Constitution of the United States of America, the Secretary of State is tasked with informing Congress and American citizens on the conduct of U.S. foreign relations," said Norman in a statement provided to Fox News.
"In Afghanistan, he failed to do so, leaving American citizens exposed in a city under the control of the Taliban. Secretary Blinken is also responsible for the safety of American citizens abroad and, in the case of danger, the safe and efficient evacuation of those Americans - which he has not done thus far."
The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment. It declined to hold a press briefing on Thursday after the attack.
Biden, on Thursday, told the nation that he took responsibility for the the fallout of his plan to pull out of Afghanistan, including the attack in Kabul. He also vowed to retaliate against those who perpetrated the attacks.
Regardless, he and others in the administration have been accused of botching the withdrawal to an extent that warrants their removal from office.
"I bear responsibility for, fundamentally, all that’s happened of late," Biden said Thursday night.
"But here’s the deal: You know — I wish you’d one day say these things — you know as well as I do that the former President made a deal with the Taliban that he would get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1."
"In return, the commitment was made — and that was a year before — in return, he was given a commitment that the Taliban would continue to attack others, but would not attack any American forces."
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