Olivia Troye, a former White House national security staffer during the Trump admin., sent this message as an email on behalf of the Republican Accountability Project:
"My heart breaks right now for the people of Afghanistan, and for our allies who are trapped in the country and surrounded by the Taliban. This was a disaster that never had to happen, and I hope they are evacuated quickly and safely.
I'm seeing Republicans claim that Trump would have handled the situation far better—and I know for a fact that's just not true. Until 2020, I was a national security staffer for the Trump administration, until I quit after seeing just how incompetent and cruel he was. Afghanistan was no exception.
I sat in cabinet meetings about getting Americans and our Afghan allies out of the country. In them, Stephen Miller would peddle his racist hysteria. He and his enablers across the government undermined anyone who worked on solving the issues in getting special immigrant visas (SIVs) for our Afghan allies by undermining the system at Homeland Security and the State Department.
I tracked this issue personally in my role at the White House. I met with many refugee advocate organizations who pleaded for help in getting U.S. allies through the process.
But we got nowhere because Trump and Miller had watchdogs in place at the Justice Department, Homeland Security, State and other agencies that made an already cumbersome SIV process even more challenging.
The system wouldn’t budge, no matter how much we argued in National Security Council meetings. The Pentagon weighed in, saying we needed to get these allies through the process. Mattis and others sent memos trying to help. We all knew the urgency, but we were blocked at every turn.
Good people within the Trump Administration tried to counter Miller's obstruction, but their fear of retaliation was palpable. Numerous closed door meetings were held, strategizing how to navigate this issue.
Trump had four years to develop a plan. We could have used that time to lay the groundwork to evacuate our Afghan allies. They were the lifelines for many of us who spent time in Afghanistan.
They’d been waiting a long time, all the while under the threat of death at the hands of the Taliban. The process slowed to a trickle for reviews and “other priorities.” Ultimately, they came to a halt.
I have one thing to say to Trump's defenders who are making blanket statements and pushing false narratives about Afghanistan: please, just stop. Some of you were actively involved in making it harder to get our Afghan allies to safety. Your comments are uninformed and hurtful. And we see right through you.
I’m grateful for everyone now advocating the urgency of getting our allies out of Afghanistan ASAP and those who are doing everything they can to help. This is a matter of national security.
Most importantly, it’s the least we can do for these individuals. The world is watching.
Olivia Troye
Director, Republican Accountability Project"
11 comments:
We will never know what the former president would do but I can't imagine it being mishandled worse that what is going on now. The current president is living up to his reputation according to bush and obama that he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades. We never should have been there, or Iraq, but whoever developed this withdrawal should be gone and it wasn't joey who made the decision. You can blame trump but in January biden became supreme leader and this is his mess.
I posted something a few weeks/days ago and you wanted documentation
1 in 8 nurses haven't gotten a COVID-19 vaccine or don't plan to get one, according to a survey by the American Nurses Association
Emily Walsh from Business insider.
And now the frenetic scramble by the Trumpublican party to paper over abother truth exposed by a "RINO". IOW a true conservative with actual integrity and one who actually loves their country. Good on Olivia Troye
Skud... the numbers range, even within the article you cited, between 12 and 25% of nurses are saying no or are hesitant.
If we're at 10%, I think that's manageable, more? Who knows.
Shaw... the comments fron Troye are troubling.
Where was Mattis? McMaster? Kelly? All generals? Where was the Head of the Joint Chiefs?
They, and their teams should have spoken up in real time!
I have no respect for the crew who silently tried, behind the scenes to right the ship. They had the means and the financial resources to have withstood the criticism for the good of the country.
But chose to remain silent. For years...
Americans will just have to get used to the idea that many innocent people will be left behind in Afghanistan. If we feel it is our responsibility to get everyone out, then we will have to commit to sending in thousands of troops to fight and regain territory to make that happen. Biden will not do that, he has made his decision, for good, or bad.
@skudrunner - Yes we do know what tRUMP would have done. He has a track record of abandoning everyone and leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. That's what narcissistic lying scum does. It's unbelievable that anyone would still be defending tRUMP.
Rev, Blaming only trumpers for not wanting to get vaccinated does not hold up. Nurses are educated professionals and most are probably not trumpers.
Jerry and Mikey, This withdrawal was not well planned and biden stated that he is responsible so seems the shoe fits. Easy to predict what trump would have done which we will never know but we do know what the current administration did. This withdrawal
could have been done correctly but we have a bunch of imbeciles running the country and biden gets blamed. Unfortunately he doesn't realize what is going on with his I have been told to call on xxx for his pre approved question so I can read the answer.
Skud... as usual you must've missed something. In a post about the amateurism of the Trump Admin in foreign policy, you are fixated on Covid...
My comments to you earlier in no way mentioned Trump. Further, simply stating the facts, all supported by links and easily verifiable are is not blaming Trump.
There are many ppl not getting vaccinated, for a variety of reasons. But there is no denying that the great majority of ppl refusing to do so are Trump supporters. Are there lefties in that cohort as well? Of course, but the data shows the great majority of liberals/lefties have been vaccinated.
I know you like to traffic in absolutes, so as to give yourself wiggle room, as when you cited the what, 20 cases of potential voter fraud to say "See, there was fraud" but forget about it.
Today, right now, where is Covid most deadly in the US? What states? What counties? What region of the country?
And what candidate did those areas support in the 2020 election?
Can we draw some conclusions about that reality? Or are you so obstinately blind that you cannot, or refuse to see it?
Skud,
I said nothing about Trump and your statement saying "Easy to predict what trump would have done" makes you psychic beyond belief.
Anyone who thinks we could get out of Afghanistan without the Taliban stepping in and taking the country while murdering citizens (no matter when, or who was president) is naive in the extreme. No doubt Biden has made mistakes in this situation, but he is a politician. Don't blame Biden for the murders committed by terrorists.
Well said Jerry
Skud... here's a few more facts...
I doubt you'll read David French's article, it's way too long for most ppl, but at least go see the graphic he includes that details where vaccine hesitation is coming from...
The Dispatch and Vaccine Rejection
Here's a question for you... how do we post stats like these in a way that people implicated in them do not feel guilty, attacked, blamed, or discriminated against?
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