Hawley, Blackburn call for Biden to resign

GOP Sens. Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) on Thursday joined a wave of other Republicans calling on President Biden to resign, a demand that that surged in the hours following multiple bombings around the airport in Kabul, killing at least 12 U.S. service members. 

Hawley said in a statement issued by his office that Biden “has now overseen the deadliest day for U.S. troops in Afghanistan in over a decade, and the crisis grows worse by the hour.”

“We must reject the falsehood peddled by a feckless president that this was the only option for withdrawal,” wrote Hawley, who in April vocalized support for removing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

“This is the product of Joe Biden’s catastrophic failure of leadership,” he added. “It is now painfully clear he has neither the will nor the capacity to lead. He must resign,” said Hawley, who previously called for the resignations of Biden’s security team over the situation in Afghanistan. 

 Blackburn issued her demand in a tweet, also calling for the resignations of Vice President Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley. 

The GOP senator argued that the president and each of the named administration members “should all resign or face impeachment and removal from office.” 

Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin and General Milley should all resign or face impeachment and removal from office.

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) August 26, 2021

Her tweet came minutes after another post in which she noted that Biden “pledged a forceful response against any attack on US servicemembers.” 

“He must follow through on his word make these terrorists pay,” she added. 

Joe Biden pledged a forceful response against any attack on US servicemembers. He must follow through on his word make these terrorists pay.

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) August 26, 2021

Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, on Thursday confirmed the deaths of the U.S. service members, as well as injuries to at least 15 others, in two suicide bombings around the Kabul airport. 

McKenzie added that the blasts at the airport, where U.S. forces for days have been working to evacuate thousands of U.S. citizens and Afghan civilians, were carried out by ISIS fighters. 

Multiple media reports noted later Thursday that a branch of ISIS that operates in South Asia and Central Asia officially claimed responsibility for the attacks. 

Biden, who is set to deliver remarks Thursday afternoon to address the attacks, has remained firm in sticking to his Tuesday goal of having all Americans and Afghan allies evacuated, despite growing concerns in recent days over security threats from terrorist groups. 

Blackburn last week was among a number of Republicans who called on Biden to fire his national security team, including National Security adviser Jake Sullivan, for the administration’s handling of the security situation in Afghanistan. 

The GOP have since ramped up their criticisms against the administration amid a rapidly escalating crisis, with many pointing to the dangers facing American citizens and Afghans who remain in the country. 

Earlier this week, Republican Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.) called on Biden to “resign immediately,” citing a “botched withdrawal” from Afghanistan.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) have also said that Biden is unfit to hold office.

On Tuesday, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) said in an interview on Newsmax that Biden “should be impeached,” adding that he had “abandoned thousands of Afghans who fought with us and he’s going to abandon some American citizens because he capitulated to the Taliban to a 31 August deadline.”

This story was updated at 4:59 p.m.