Senate Republicans are increasing pressure on the State Department to release internal dissent cables that reportedly warned of a rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan before the U.S. pullout.
Sen. James E. Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the cables are among “a growing body of evidence” that the Biden administration dismissed warnings from officials on the ground in Afghanistan “that predicted a rapid Taliban advance.”
Some of the contents of the cables were leaked to the Wall Street Journal in August amid the calamitous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“The administration’s haphazard exit from Afghanistan has tarnished American credibility, cost American lives, and has set back American efforts to ensure Afghanistan never again serves as a platform for attacks against the United States,” Mr. Risch said in a statement Thursday. “The American people deserve transparency.”
The Washington Times reached out to the State Department for comment.
The newspaper reported in August that 23 staffers stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent a cable on July 13 via the State Department’s dissent channel warning of the Taliban’s rapid advance and potential collapse of the Afghan security forces. They called for evacuation efforts to be increased.
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The confidential cable directly refuted claims by President Biden and other officials that the swift Taliban overthrow of the Afghan government and the resulting chaos was unforeseeable.
Mr. Risch was joined by Senate Republican Whip John Thune of South Dakota in introducing legislation that would require the State Department to release to the public an unclassified version of the cable and provide Congress with the classified version.
“Despite repeated requests, the State Department has refused to provide the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with a copy of the July 13 dissent cable and a description of changes the secretary made as a result,” Mr. Risch said.
Earlier this month, Mr. Risch released a 64-page report outlining President Biden’s missteps and what it describes as a “failure of leadership” during the drawdown from Afghanistan that left thousands of American citizens and Afghan partners stranded.
Republicans say the administration continues to duck accountability for the withdrawal, and the bill introduced Thursday signals their intent to continue their push to hold the administration accountable.
“Transparency is an inherent component of accountability, and the American people deserve to have an unvarnished look into the decision-making process — and the warnings that went ignored — in the lead-up to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Mr. Thune said.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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