Democrats worried as Biden administration ‘consumed’ by Afghanistan: Report

Democrats are worried about the domestic fallout of Joe Biden administration’s “mistakes” in Afghanistan amid sliding approval ratings for the US president, according to a media report. Thursday’s suicide bombing at the Kabul airport killed at least 13 US soldiers in the deadliest day for the country’s troops in almost a decade, and may also have dealt the worst blow to Biden’s nascent presidency over the handling of the Afghanistan crisis.

The Biden administration is consumed by events in Afghanistan while also “struggling to contain the chaos of war,” CNN reports.

As Republicans continue to corner the Biden administration on the Afghan situation, the focus has shifted on a team of “longtime Biden hands” over the lack of preparation the chaos that has preceded and followed the Taliban’s takeover of the country.

Biden’s aides say he’ll eventually hold someone responsible.

The White House has said Biden isn’t planning to ask any of his military leaders to resign. Press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden’s confidence in Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has faced criticism over the Afghanistan evacuation, was intact.

Some national security officials see Thursday’s attack as the “worst case scenario” for Biden, considering his recent statements on the Afghanistan situation.

“No one’s being killed right now,” Biden said in an interview with ABC News last week. Previously, he has exuded confidence in the Afghan government and US-trained Afghan security forces being able to withstand the Taliban onslaught. He has also defended the Afghanistan withdrawal.Even before Thursday’s attack, Republicans had been pummeling Biden over Afghanistan, charging that a delay in evacuations in the spring had contributed to the last minute chaos.

Lawmakers had voiced frustration over the lack of information coming from the administration in recent days as its public messaging has stood in stark contrast to the reality on the ground.

Calls for resignations and impeachment of Biden and his top advisers grew shriller with updates on the extent of US casualties in Thursday’s attack.

CNN quotes Democratic sources as saying they don’t buy Biden’s explanation that the intel didn’t predict the Taliban’s quick rise to power.

“Although it is clear to me that we could not continue to put American service members in danger for an unwinnable war, I also believe that the evacuation process appears to have been egregiously mishandled,” Rep. Susan Wild, a moderate Pennsylvania Democrat, said Thursday.