Sasse knocks ‘Trump-Biden doctrine of weakness’ as situation deteriorates in Afghanistan

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) is blasting both the Trump and Biden administrations for a “doctrine of weakness” that he said resulted in the current situation in Afghanistan as a government takeover by the Taliban now appears to be imminent.

“The unmitigated disaster in Afghanistan — the shameful, Saigon-like abandonment of Kabul, the brutalization of Afghan women, and the slaughter of our allies — is the predictable outcome of the Trump-Biden doctrine of weakness,” Sasse said in a statement on Sunday.

The senator said the two most recent administrations “deliberately decided to lose” in Afghanistan.

“America’s leaders didn’t tell the truth that our small, forward-deployed force of a few thousand was the backbone of intelligence and special forces’ successful work to decapitate terror organizations,” Sasse said. “The looming defeat will badly hurt American intelligence and give jihadis a safe haven in Afghanistan, again. America will regret this.”

The Taliban entered Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul on Sunday, with negotiators reportedly going to the presidential palace to discuss a peaceful transfer of power.

Reiterating what many critics of President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan have said, Sasse, who serves on the Select Committee on Intelligence, also argued that this development would harm U.S. standing in the international community.

The Nebraska senator’s statement echoed comments made by GOP Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), who condemned the “the Trump/Biden calamity unfolding in Afghanistan” on Saturday.

Writing on Twitter, Cheney stated that the situation in Afghanistan “began with the Trump administration negotiating with terrorists and pretending they were partners for peace, and is ending with American surrender as Biden abandons the country to our terrorist enemies.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also called on Biden to intervene in the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, saying last week that the U.S. should carry out airstrikes to stop the Taliban from taking Kabul.

Biden has continued to defend his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, arguing that after 20 years, U.S. troops had spent too long in Afghanistan. When asked about the situation in Afghanistan last week, Biden argued that staying in the country for a few more years would not have changed the outcome.