Congress plans to honor the 13 American service members who were killed in the Biden-Harris administration’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony on Tuesday.
The ceremony, scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern at the Capitol Rotunda, will take place just hours before the first debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris — who has tried to escape blame for the disastrous withdrawal that happened under her and President Joe Biden’s watch.
Harris told CNN in April 2021 that she was the last person in the room when Biden made the decision to pull out all U.S. troops from Afghanistan and that she felt comfortable with the decision.
WATCH — Trump Releases Video Commemorating 3-Year Anniversary of Afghanistan Attack & Shredding Kamala:
Donald J. Trump / Truth SocialHowever, after the withdrawal led to a surprise takeover by the Taliban of Afghanistan, the total collapse of the U.S.-backed government, a chaotic evacuation of hundreds of thousands, and the deaths of 13 service members conducting the evacuation — Harris has tried to distance herself.
Her campaign on Friday tried to blame Trump for the deadly withdrawal, even though he had left office seven months earlier and Biden has said it was his decision to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan. Furthermore, he and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have both said they have no regrets about it.
The ceremony also comes amid a high-profile fight between family members of the 13 fallen — who will likely attend the ceremony — and the Harris-Walz campaign.
WATCH — Afghanistan Gold Star Mother to Harris: “You Hold the Same Accountability as President Biden”:
After the families arranged a ceremony at the Arlington Cemetery on the anniversary of their deaths and invited Trump to participate in it, the Harris-Walz campaign accused him of politicizing the withdrawal and the cemetery. They also criticized an alleged tussle between an Arlington Cemetery staffer and two members of the Trump campaign over media rules at the cemetery, despite the families giving their permission to film the event.
The family members slammed Harris over the criticism, as well as the Biden-Harris administration’s bungled withdrawal that led to the deaths of their loved ones.
The Harris-Walz campaign accused Trump of being a “danger” to U.S. troops in a post on X on Monday.
A recent poll showed that veterans support Trump overwhelmingly more than Harris, and that more active-duty members prefer Trump to Harris as well.
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