Top Generals Point Fingers at Biden for Afghanistan Debacle, Even as Military Troops Can Be Jailed for Criticism

Two of the U.S. military’s highest-ranking generals blamed Biden for the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle, even as troops face jail-time for criticizing the Commander-in-Chief. On Tuesday, General Mark Milley, beleagured Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Kenneth McKenzie, CENTCOM commander, appeared on Capitol Hill and pointed their fingers at President Biden for the calamitous withdrawal.

“Top military leaders said Tuesday that they had recommended to President Joe Biden that the U.S. keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan even after the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline, contradicting the president’s assertion last month that his advisers did not tell him to leave a small military presence in the country,” NBC reported.

“Gen. Frank McKenzie, who oversaw the withdrawal as head of U.S. Central Command, and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in testimony before Congress that they had communicated that advice to the president,” NBC noted.

“Biden, however, was asked in an interview with ABC News in mid-August whether any of his military advisers told him to leave 2,500 troops in the country,” the report noted.

“No,” Biden said. “No one said that to me that I can recall.”

[link to beckernews.com (secure)]