Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) on Tuesday night said the mishandling of the U.S. withdrawal and utter collapse of Afghanistan to the Taliban has made it clear that President Joe Biden is “not up for the job” as commander-in-chief.
The disaster in Afghanistan, particularly the Biden administration’s bungling of a speedy evacuation of Americans, “will go down in history as a black mark on our country and certainly will prove that this president is not up for the job,” Banks said during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”
“This is the greatest abdication of leadership that we’ve seen, certainly in my lifetime, by an American president and his team at the Pentagon when it comes to our national security interests. And the least that we can do is hold congressional hearings to get to the bottom of why,” Banks said, noting that he’s not “holding his breath” for such hearings since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) “supports” Biden’s efforts in Afghanistan.
The Republican described the Taliban takeover of our U.S. embassy in Afghanistan as “humiliating.”
“It’s humiliating to me that the Taliban now controls one of the most expensive U.S. embassies that we’ve build around the world,” Banks said. “It should be humiliating to every American. It’s humiliating to the projection of America’s strength and posture around the world and it’s all happened on Joe Biden’s watch.”
Banks was also dismayed that leading Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan could “still have a job.” Notably, Mr. Sullivan could not give the total number of Americans still in Afghanistan and would not “comment on hypotheticals” about their evacuation.
“If the mission is not complete by Aug. 31 and there are American and Afghan allies who remain there, will U.S. troops stay until everyone is out? Or will they leave?” CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang asked Sullivan this week.
“So, I’m not going to comment on hypotheticals,” the advisor responded. “I’m going to stay focused on the task at hand, which is getting as many people out as rapidly as possible, and we will take that day-by-day.”
“So you can’t commit to bringing back every American?” Jiang alarmingly responded.
“Others tried to pin this down, but Sullivan would not commit to having U.S. troops in Afghanistan past 08/31, even if some Americans and Afghan allies are still trying to leave,” the reporter tweeted after the briefing.
Banks is not the only one saying Biden is not up for the job. Former President Donald Trump this week demanded Biden “resign in disgrace” over the debacle.
“What Joe Biden has done with Afghanistan is legendary. It will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history!” Trump’s statement said. “It is time for Joe Biden to resign in disgrace for what he has allowed to happen to Afghanistan, along with the tremendous surge in COVID, the Border catastrophe, the destruction of energy independence, and our crippled economy.”
Additionally, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) floated the idea of removing Biden from office by invoking the 25th Amendment. The Daily Wire reported:
“Inflation is raging. The debt ceiling expired & U.S. debt is headed to $45 TRILLION. Kabul is falling to the Taliban & encounters in the #BidenBorderCrisis just hit a 20 YEAR HIGH. Democrats control the House, Senate & @WhiteHouse. What in the world is Joe Biden doing?” Scott tweeted last week.
On Monday, he quoted the same tweet while adding: “After the disastrous events in Afghanistan, we must confront a serious question: Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office or has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment?”
“The 25th Amendment allows for the president to be stripped of authority if the vice president and a majority of cabinet members tell Congress that the president ‘is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,'” The Daily Wire noted. “The amendment has historically been used in cases of medical emergency.”
Related:
- Senate Dems To Seek ‘Full Accounting’ Of Biden Admin’s ‘Flawed’ Afghan Withdrawal
- WATCH: Biden Admin Admits It Does Not Know How Many Americans Are Trapped In Afghanistan, Could Be 10,000
- GOP Senator Floats Using 25th Amendment, Stripping Biden Of Power
- Trump Demands Biden ‘Resign In Disgrace’ From Office For 5 Reasons