- National security leaders say Harris is the best candidate for commander in chief
- It comes after Republicans linked her to the disastrous Afghan withdrawal
- READ MORE: Follow all the latest developments on our live blog about politics
Top national security figures defended Kamala Harris on Monday against Republican attacks that she was to blame for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“Vice President Kamala Harris is the best – and only – presidential candidate in this race qualified to serve as our commander in chief,” the retired generals and admirals wrote in their letter to National Security Leaders for America.
“She has demonstrated her ability to tackle the most difficult national security challenges, both in the Situation Room and on the international stage.”
This comes after Republicans in the House of Representatives published their 2021 withdrawal inquiry, blaming President Joe Biden and his vice president for the disastrous end to the 20-year war.
They were accused of focusing more on politics and external matters than preparing proper evacuation plans.
“Vice President Kamala Harris is the best—and only—presidential candidate in this race who is qualified to serve as our commander in chief,” the retired generals and admirals wrote in their letter. She is seen here with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in June
The report, authored by Rep. Michael McCaul of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, cites Harris’ own claim that he was “the last person in the room” when Biden made the decision to bring the last U.S. troops home.
And it says Harris “worked closely behind the scenes with President Biden to withdraw all U.S. troops.”
However, Democrats say this understates President Donald Trump’s role in his administration’s decision and deal with the Taliban to reduce U.S. troop levels to zero by May 2021.
National security officials, led by (retired) Admiral Steve Abbot, who served as deputy homeland security adviser under George W. Bush, warn that Trump poses a danger to democracy.
“He repeatedly fails to take responsibility for his own role in endangering military personnel,” authorities said.
‘Without involving the Afghan government, he and his administration negotiated a deal with the Taliban that freed 5,000 Taliban fighters and allowed them to return to the battlefield.
“He then left President Biden and Vice President Harris with no plans to conduct a withdrawal, and little time to do so. This chaotic approach severely hampered the Biden-Harris administration’s ability to conduct as orderly a withdrawal as possible and put our service members and allies at risk.”
When Biden announced in April 2021 that he would end the war, Taliban fighters began a rapid advance.
They encountered little resistance. Government forces, without foreign contractors to keep planes in the air or American allies to provide support, melted away rather than make a futile last-ditch effort.
Ten top national security leaders have issued a statement endorsing Kamala Harris, saying she is the best candidate to be the next commander in chief.
National security officials said Donald Trump was to blame for the chaos
Taliban fighters commemorated the third anniversary of the capture of Kabul on August 14, 2024
Thousands of Afghans gathered at Kabul airport as US troops left in 2021
On August 15, the Taliban took power in Kabul.
Chaos broke out as tens of thousands of foreigners and Afghans gathered at the city’s airport in search of safety.
The world watched in horror as desperate young men tried to cling to ascending planes, some falling to their deaths.
A few days later, disaster struck when an ISIS-K suicide bomber killed approximately 170 Afghans and 13 American soldiers.
Since then, Republicans and Democrats have been accusing each other of being to blame.