GOP’s Blame Game on Afghanistan: Ignoring Trump’s Mess, Slandering Harris
The fiasco started with Trump's feckless and reckless deal with the Taliban.The GOP’s attempt to deflect responsibility by smearing Harris is just more political theater and retired generals say BS.
The Party of Trump is at it again. This time, they’re going to great lengths to rewrite history and pin the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan on Vice President Kamala Harris. But make no mistake—this fiasco was a direct consequence of the disastrously short-sighted deal Donald Trump made with the Taliban in 2020. And now, in typical fashion, the GOP is doing everything in its power to muddy the waters and escape accountability.
Facts: In 2020, Trump made an agreement with the Taliban that was reckless on multiple fronts. His administration released 5,000 Taliban prisoners—yes, 5,000 hardened fighters, many of whom immediately rejoined the battlefield. He kept the Afghan government out of the negotiations, effectively handing control of the country back to the very regime that harbored terrorists responsible for 9/11. He then gave an impossible timeline for withdrawal that was date specific, no conditions contingent. Yet, when the inevitable collapse occurred, Republicans want us to believe it was Biden and Harris’s fault? The hypocrisy is staggering.
And don’t take my word for it. A group of retired generals and admirals have stepped forward to make it clear: this disaster was set in motion by Trump. In a letter signed by high-ranking military leaders, including Admiral Steve Abbot and General Lloyd W. Newton, they pointed out that Trump’s deal with the Taliban “severely hindered” the Biden-Harris administration’s ability to execute an orderly withdrawal. They even emphasized that the agreement Trump signed didn’t include any plan for withdrawal and left Harris and Biden with little time to mitigate the damage.
Yet, Republicans remain laser-focused on smearing Harris, launching investigation after investigation and selectively leaking details to slander her. Why? Because it’s politically convenient. They know full well that Trump, not Biden or Harris, set the withdrawal timeline, and he’s the one who chose to leave the Afghan government out in the cold. But does the GOP ever mention Trump’s catastrophic decisions? Of course not—they’re too busy playing the blame game.
House Republicans, led by Michael McCaul, have produced a plartisan hack job “report” that conveniently minimizes Trump’s role in the chaos while unfairly dumping the responsibility onto the Biden-Harris administration. In truth, this partisan hit job breaks no new ground. Multiple independent investigations have already shown that both Trump and Biden share responsibility—but the lion’s share lies with Trump. Still, the GOP continues to exploit the situation for political gain.
The generals’ letter is a resounding rebuke to this hypocrisy. They make it clear that Harris, far from being the villain Republicans want to paint her as, worked with Biden to manage an impossible situation—one made all the worse by Trump’s reckless decisions. The GOP’s refusal to acknowledge Trump’s role is not only dishonest but deeply disrespectful to those who sacrificed so much in the conflict.
This isn’t just politics as usual—it’s a cynical and shameful distortion of reality. Republicans want to wash their hands of Trump’s disastrous deal while using the tragedy in Kabul as a cudgel against Harris. But facts matter. The GOP’s finger-pointing isn’t about accountability—it’s about political convenience.
It’s time to stop the blame game. The withdrawal from Afghanistan was a national tragedy, but if we’re going to talk about responsibility, let’s start with the man who invited the Taliban to the negotiating table in the first place: Donald Trump.