Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Lindsey Graham threatens Biden with impeachment over Afghanistan

President will have committed a ‘high crime and misdemeanor’ if any Americans or Afghan allies are left behind, top Trump ally says

Bevan Hurley
In New York
Friday 20 August 2021 16:51 BST
Comments
Graham says President Biden should be impeached if Americans left behind
Leer en Español

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Senator Lindsey Graham claimed Joe Biden should be impeached if any Americans or Afghan allies are left behind in the US withdrawal.

Mr Graham said the US was “duty-bound” to evacuate every US citizen and “honour-bound” to do likewise for the Afghan interpreters and contractors who aided the American occupation.

“If we leave one American behind. If we don’t get all those Afghans who stepped up to the plate to help us out then Joe Biden, in my view, has committed a high crime and misdemeanor under the Constitution and should be impeached,” the Republican Senator from South Carolina told Fox & Friends on Friday.

The chaotic US withdrawal from its 20-year occupation of Afghanistan in the face of a Taliban onslaught is being described as a humanitarian disaster.

Scenes at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Friday showed Afghans on the perimeter trying to pass their babies over razor wire to US troops in order for them to be rescued.

President Biden was due to address the deteriorating security situation at 1pm on Friday afternoon ET.

The Biden administration’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has committed to evacuating the estimated 6,000 US citizens remaining in the country.

CNN’s chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward reported on Friday morning that she had not seen a single flight depart Kabul airport in the past eight hours.

Mr Graham said the French and British Governments had made commitments to bring out all of their citizens and allies.

In 2019, Mr Graham criticised the Trump administration for “shamelessly” abandoning the Kurds by withdrawing from Syria, but stopped short of calling for impeachment.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in