Calls to impeach Biden grow

WASHINGTON: As the Taliban are negotiating a new government in Kabul after the Afghan National Defence Forces folded up amidst a lingering but disorderly US withdrawal from Afghanistan, scheduled to be completed by Aug 31, US President Joe Biden has come in for increasing criticism from international allies and domestic politicians, several of whom are calling for impeachment proceedings against the 46th president of the US.

Speaking on ‘War Room Pandemic’ podcast with host Steve Bannon, Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, MTG, confirmed, “I have my team right now working on articles of impeachment. You know I’ve already filed one set of articles of impeachment. “But his failure as a president is unspeakable,” she added, reported foreign media.

Florida Senator Rick Scott has also raised the prospect of Biden’s removal after the collapse of Afghanistan to the Taliban. Scott, who is chair of the Senate GOP campaign arm, said on Twitter: “We must confront a serious question: Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office or has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment?”

The remarks about the president by prominent politicians come as the #ImpeachBiden hashtag went viral on social media and became one of the highest trends on Twitter on Monday morning. Candace Owens, one of the most prominent political spokespeople on the platform with 2.8 million followers, shared a photo comparing America’s exit by helicopter from Vietnam and from Afghanistan with the words, “Biden’s Saigon. #ImpeachBiden.”

Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s ex-attorney and former mayor of New York, was quick to criticize Biden, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on Twitter. “It’s such a bad #BidenDisaster, it may lead to an #IMPEACHBIDENNOW. Then #IMPEACHBIDENHARRIS will lead #PelosiDisaster,” Giuliani tweeted on Sunday evening to his 1.1 million followers.

Jerome Bell, a Trump-supporting Republican who is running for Congress in Virginia’s Congressional District, tweeted with a screenshot alleging that Biden lied about military intelligence on Afghanistan. Biden said in a July 8 press conference that the Afghanistan military was capable of subverting the Taliban. “Boom. #ImpeachBiden,” Jerome Bell wrote on Twitter as the Taliban stormed into the presidential palace on Sunday night and declared the war in Afghanistan to be over.

Like Biden, Trump also supported the policy of withdrawing from Afghanistan. There were scenes of chaos at Kabul airport, where thousands looked to flee the country fearing retaliation by the Taliban.

The US and other Western countries were also scrambling to evacuate diplomats, embassy workers and citizens stranded in the central Asian country. The president, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top government officials are also coming under intense pressure from the media over the collapse of the Afghan government. CNN presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said Biden must feel “humiliated” watching footage from Kabul showing the chaotic US exit from Afghanistan.

Joining the group, Jack Lombardi, Republican Candidate for Congress in Illinois, said, “On the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 it will be the Taliban and al-Qaeda celebrating in Kabul. This is a disgrace and America is less safe today because of Joe Biden.” Lombardi called upon the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment or for Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden, who is no longer able to competently carry out his duties.