The Taliban’s advance into the capitol of Afghanistan dominated the Sunday morning talk shows, with multiple guests discussing the apparent imminent fall of the government.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken argued that the group would’ve launch the offensive even if U.S. troops had stayed in the nation.
Comparisons to the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam were also debated.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday defended the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan even as a Taliban takeover appears to be imminent, arguing that the current offensive would have occurred even if the U.S. had stayed.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Blinken acknowledged that Afghan security forces have been unable to defend the nation and that the Taliban offensive has progressed faster than was expected.
“It’s a very dire situation when you see the United States Embassy being evacuated. In fact you just had President Biden a few days ago saying you wouldn’t see helicopters evacuating the embassy like Saigon, and yet here we are. This is this is President Biden’s Saigon moment and unfortunately it was very predictable,” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that the Trump administration “never trusted to Taliban” despite its efforts to negotiate its own withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
“This is gonna be a stain on this president and his presidency. And I think he’s gonna have blood on his hands from what they did,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) while appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” to discuss the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) criticized President Biden on Sunday over his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan in the wake of reports that the Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday, arguing the move by the president is “not ending the war.”
Chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci on Sunday called on vaccine-hesitant individuals to “put aside” their concerns about personal liberty and recognize the “common enemy” of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A top U.S. infectious disease expert said on Sunday that a surge in the COVID-19 virus could sustain itself for at least another four to six weeks if certain states continue to see cases increase.
“That’s very worrisome,” NIH Director Francis Collins said. “More than 400 children have died of COVID-19. And right now we have almost 2,000 kids in the hospital, many of them in ICU, some of them under the age of four.”
New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who will soon become her state’s first female governor, said on Sunday that “it won’t be difficult” for her to move on from the legacy that so many officials like outgoing Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) have left behind.
