Republican Senator Lindsey Graham criticized the Biden administration’s review of the Afghanistan withdrawal, accusing officials of covering up their mistakes by repeatedly blaming former President Trump and downplaying the risk of terrorism.
In an interview with “Fox News Sunday,” Graham claimed that the Biden administration’s report said their mission had been accomplished and that they had eradicated all terrorist threats in Afghanistan, which is why President Biden withdrew troops from the country.
Graham disputed these claims and warned of a “lethal cocktail” forming in the region, combined with the dangers of open-border policies domestically that could lead to another 9/11 unless leaders reverse course. He went on to say that Biden’s actions have paved the way for another 9/11.
Graham’s comments followed the release of a 12-page report that repeatedly criticized Trump for allegedly constraining the conditions of the evacuation process, which led to a suicide bombing that claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members at the Hamid Karzai International Airport.
The report particularly shifted blame to Trump for providing no plans on how to conduct a withdrawal from the region despite plans to complete the withdrawal shortly after Biden took office in January 2021.
The withdrawal, executed in August 2021, was heavily criticized by many for leaving behind U.S. citizens and Afghan allies in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power.
Critics like Graham have accused the Biden administration of shifting the blame on the botched withdrawal after the report went public.