Commentary

Regular readers know that I have often voiced the need for accountability and justice to be administered to government officials primarily responsible for the loss of life or in the humiliation and ruination of a career.

I’m concerned that the current assault on former President Trump by the Department of Justice and FBI, and the January 6, House committee on the Capitol breach, are both designed to affect the midterm elections. 

Further, in the process, the left is attempting to take the onus off President Biden’s appalling foreign policy decisions in the Afghanistan withdrawal.

“As the United States marks the first anniversary of the withdrawal,” notes Reuters, “some U.S. officials and experts say President Joe Biden’s administration has moved on without assessing lessons learned from the 20-year war and Taliban victory.”

Unbelievably, Aaron David Miller, senior fellow at the left-leaning Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, urged the White House to mitigate the political impact of the withdrawal anniversary on Biden’s “real leadership and deft management” in Ukraine. “That would lay to rest growing doubts about Biden’s judgement and competence in foreign policy and restore allies’ faith in U.S. leadership.”

You may recall from previous posts that I consider President Biden responsible for the botched withdrawal of Afghanistan that we now continue to mourn, one year later.

While they talk about the successful airlift out of Afghanistan, they want you to forget the loss of 13 American lives.

Headlines like these are insufficient:

“Declassified Afghanistan reports back U.S. commander who said Biden team was indecisive during crisis,” – The Washington Post

“A year after Biden’s Afghanistan exit, accountability in short supply.” – Reuters

“4 reasons why Biden ‘failed’ in Afghanistan.” – Ian Bremmer, Yahoo News

“Holding Biden Accountable for the Disastrous Afghanistan Withdrawal.” – Heritage Foundation

While past presidents hold responsibility for the decades-long U.S. presence in Afghanistan, Eurasia Group founder and political scientist of note, Ian Bremmer, wrote how Biden botched the withdrawal through his military and intelligence, coordination, planning and communication.

Bremmer referred to it as “an extraordinary foreign policy crisis … largely self-imposed.”

It’s difficult to understand how Biden, during an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, could tell viewing Americans that “no one” that he “can recall” advised him to keep a modest force of about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan.  He repeated, “No. No one said that to me that I can recall.”

However, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, testified under oath before the Senate Armed Services Committee that he made that recommendation, acknowledging that he talked to Biden directly.  “I am confident that the president heard all the recommendations and listened to them thoughtfully,” McKenzie said.

Why Affixing Accountability is Important

Here are a number of quotes that continue to stick in my craw; all representing a lack of accountability properly addressed and administered:

The Attack on Benghazi

“With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans.  Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided that they’d go kill some Americans?  What difference does it make?” – Hillary Clinton, January 23, 2013, following the deaths of four Americans at the September 11, 2012 attack on our Benghazi compound.

Hillary Clinton’s Mishandling of Documents

After characterizing the investigation findings that the Hillary Clinton and her team were “extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information,” FBI Director James Comey said, “There was no clear evidence they intended to violate the law.”

“Although there is evidence of potential violations regarding the handling of classified information, our judgement is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.” – James Comey, July 5, 2016

In the Russian Collusion case

Prosecutors led by John H. Durham, the special counsel investigating the government’s action in the Russian collusion case, recommended that former FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, get several months prison time.  Clinesmith had admitted doctoring an e-mail, after the inspector general became aware that Clinesmith had altered the e-mail that affected the case against Carter Page.

Judge James E. Boasberg of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, said “the destruction of Mr. Clinesmith’s career – being vilified in a media hurricane – had already provided significant punishment and sent a deterrent message.  Anybody who has watched what Mr. Clinesmith has suffered is not someone who will readily act in that fashion.  Weighing all of these factors together – both in terms of the damages he caused and what he has suffered and the positives in own life – I believe a probationary sentence is appropriate here and will therefore impose it.”

Lerner Targets Conservative Groups

After a two-year investigation into whether the IRS improperly targeted the Tea Party and other conservative groups, Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik announced that there would be no charges against Lois Lerner, who managed the department handling tax exempt applications.

“(The probe found) substantial evidence of mismanagement, poor judgement and institutional inertia leading to the belief by many tax-exempt applicants that the IRS targeted them on their political viewpoints.  But poor management is not a crime.  We found no evidence that any IRS official acted based on political, discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives that would support a criminal prosecution.”

Still to Come

John Durham’s investigation into the fabrication of the Steele dossier, paid for by the Clinton campaign, continues with Russian national Igor Danchenko facing a jury this fall for lying to the FBI.  Will there be justice administered and will it extend to the Clinton team?

AND FINALLY, your laugh for the day

Following the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, disgraced FBI agent Peter Strzok, appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, said, “Absolutely, the American public should trust what the FBI is doing. It’s not that the FBI is targeting any one side or the other. What you see is the FBI going out on a day-in, day-out basis objectively investigating allegations of law.”

Stay strong.  The cavalry is coming.  May God continue to bless the United States of America.