US Congressman Cory Mills has introduced a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for “high crimes and misdemeanors” related to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.
Announcing his move on X, formerly Twitter, Mills, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, stated in the resolution that Austin engaged in a “dereliction of his duties and intentional abandonment of Americans in Afghanistan.”
“Despite having nearly 8 months as Secretary of Defense to prepare for and execute a smooth and orderly departure from Afghanistan, Secretary Austin failed to adequately prepare for such a withdrawal, including through his decisions during the catastrophic events of July and August 2021, which initially resulted in as many as 9,000 American citizens being abandoned in Afghanistan,” the bill reads.
Saturday, August 26, marks two years since the deadly bombing at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport, which left over 150 people from Afghanistan dead, along with 13 US service members.
Republicans and former military members have long blamed President Joe Biden for the tragedy and the disastrous withdrawal as he failed to take guidance from his top military advisers at the time.
In a message on X, Mills stated: “High-level officials in this administration blatantly ignored intel that Americans and our allied partners in Kabul would be left behind in harm’s way unless the U.S. corrected course in our withdrawal. As a result, nearly 200 people, including 13 American servicemembers, were murdered at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan two years ago.”
He also said: “It’s not enough for Congress to hold committee hearings. We must start taking real action to address the complete failure of this administration.
“Tomorrow (Saturday August 26, 2023) marks two years to the day that we lost 13 of our brave servicemembers. The fact that it has been two entire years without any member of this administration being held accountable is unfathomable. That changes today,” he said.
The resolution claims that Austin’s actions caused the “unnecessary deaths” of 13 U.S. service members in Kabul.
Austin meanwhile testified before the House Armed Services Committee in March, saying he didn’t have any “regrets” about how the withdrawal took place.
