Two House Republicans will introduce articles of impeachment on Friday, claiming that Secretary of State Antony Blinken misled the president and abandoned American interests in Afghanistan.
“In his participation in the departure of American military and diplomatic assets from Afghanistan,” the articles state, “Secretary Blinken has failed to properly honor his oath and has instead presided over a reckless abandoning of our nation’s interests, security, and ideals.”
They go on to say that “in direct contradiction with the intelligence and recommendations supplied by his own diplomats and the intelligence community, Secretary Blinken failed to advise and counsel the President accordingly, and did not warn Congress or American civilians at home and abroad of the dangers.”
The proposal by Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Andy Harris (R-MD) comes as many Republicans have demanded responsibility for the assaults that killed 13 US military personnel on Thursday.
“Under the United States of America’s Constitution, the Secretary of State is entrusted with updating Congress and American citizens on the conduct of US international affairs,” Norman said in a statement given to Fox News.
“In Afghanistan, he failed to do so, leaving American citizens vulnerable in a Taliban-controlled city.
Secretary Blinken is also in charge of the protection of American people overseas and, in the event of a crisis, the safe and speedy evacuation of those Americans, which he has yet to accomplish.”
The State Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Fox News.
It declined to hold a news conference following the incident on Thursday.
On Thursday, Biden addressed the country that he accepted responsibility for the consequences of his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, including the Kabul bombing.
He also threatened to act against those responsible for the attacks.
Regardless, he and other members of the government have been accused of botching the withdrawal to the point where they should be removed from office.
“I bear basic responsibility for all that has transpired recently,” Biden declared Thursday night.
Fox News contributed to this report.
