Lest we forget: Trump’s New Defense Secretary Announces Afghan Withdrawal The hasty–and unexplained—move drew criticism from Republicans and the head of NATO.
The new acting Pentagon chief spent the morning briefing members of Congress on Capitol Hill about the decision, many of whom opposed the decision. In a rare statement criticizing Trump administration policy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on Monday that the rapid drawdown “would hurt our allies and delight the people who wish us harm.” Acting Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, openly compared the prospect of a withdrawal to “a Saigon type of situation,” referencing the fall of Vietnam’s largest city at the end of the U.S. involvement in the war.