By The Opinion
Nov 18, 2024, 00:41 AM EST
On several occasions, Donald Trump attacked Joe Biden’s administration for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistanwhich he described as “disgraceful” and “incompetent.”
Against that backdrop, Trump’s transition team is compiling a list of current and former senior U.S. military officials who were directly involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan and exploring whether they could face military trial for their involvement.
According to data released by NBC News, Officials working on the transition are considering creating a commission to investigate the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, including gathering information on who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military, how it was carried out and whether military leaders could be eligible for charges as serious as treason, the two sources said.
“They are taking it very seriously,” said the person with knowledge of the plan.
According to the outlet, Matt Flynn, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for countering drug trafficking and global threats, is helping to lead the effort, the sources said. It is being framed as an analysis of how the United States entered the war in Afghanistan and how it ultimately withdrew.
The elected president Donald Trump has condemned the withdrawal as a “humiliation” and “the most shameful day in the history of our country.”
However, it is unclear what would legally justify the “treason” charges, as military officials were following President Joe Biden’s orders to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan.
A 2022 independent review by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction blamed the Trump and Biden administrations for the chaotic US withdrawal in 2021.
Trump’s Pick for Defense Secretary, Fox News Host Pete Hegseth has criticized the withdrawal, saying the United States lost the war and wasted billions of dollars.
Hegseth calls the withdrawal a “humiliating retreat” and says Defense Department leaders were not held accountable for the deadly attack at Abbey Gate, which killed 13 U.S. service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians.
What is a fact is that eight years after his initial victory, Trump returns to the White House angrier, more aggrieved and speaking more openly of revenge than the last time.
Keep reading:
• What Donald Trump supporters believe and expect
• Trump plans immigration detention centers near major cities
• Trump advances in his cabinet appointments, who are the most prominent?