White House officials have been dreading a likely congressional investigation into President Joe Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal once the Republican majority takes over the House of Representatives, the Washington Post reported.
They say the investigations "could prove more emotionally difficult and politically damaging" than even the pending congressional investigations into Hunter Biden’s corruption.
In a report published Tuesday, the Washington Post noted the apprehension regarding potential congressional inquiries into Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the war-torn country, a chaotic process which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and more than 170 Afghan civilians in a terrorist bombing outside of Kabul's airport in 2021.
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The piece opened, "From the moment President Biden’s Afghanistan pullout began to go wrong — chaos at Kabul’s airport, 13 U.S. service members killed by a suicide bombing, Afghans falling to their deaths from departing planes — the White House braced for withering congressional inquiries."
It claimed that what's more troubling for Biden’s team is that investigations will be conducted by "empowered opposition" now that Republicans have clinched the House majority.
The piece also noted that although investigations into Biden’s son are what everyone’s talking about, "some White House and other administration officials privately say an Afghanistan probe could prove more emotionally difficult and politically damaging."
The outlet explained, "The White House can — and plans to — dismiss any investigation into Hunter Biden as a conspiratorial witch hunt, but even Democrats concede that Congress has a right to scrutinize a troubled military action that resulted in American and Afghan deaths."
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The report claimed Democrats know it would be much easier to dismiss claims against Hunter Biden than claims against the withdrawal. "Democrats may argue Hunter Biden’s business dealings aren’t of concern to ordinary Americans, but few would say the same of the Afghan pullout."
The timing of these investigations may also hamper Biden’s re-election campaign. The Post stated, "The investigation would probably gear up just as President Biden launches his reelection campaign early next year."
Describing the damage this could do to Biden’s image, the report said, "The August 2021 withdrawal was a low point in Biden’s presidency, sending his approval ratings into a tailspin as desperate scenes from Kabul aired across the world, and the probe would probably resurface such troubling issues as the fate of Afghan interpreters who worked for the United States but were left behind."
It added, "That prospect is worrying to some on the Biden team, according to current and former White House aides, Pentagon officials and others across the administration."
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There is some consolation in the fact that "some noted polls show that Americans’ interest in the issue has waned," and that "lawmakers on both sides have already scrutinized the Afghan withdrawal and released reports about it." So they don’t "expect a big bombshell from any hearings because the episode has been so thoroughly examined," the Post noted.
However, the piece claimed, "an investigation led by House Republicans who chair committees and wield subpoena power is a different matter, and GOP lawmakers have made it clear that Afghanistan will be a top investigative target."
