GOP hits Biden despite divides over Afghanistan withdrawal

By WILL WEISSERT and ALAN FRAM
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are lining up to blister President Joe Biden’s handling of Afghanistan as they try to turn violence and chaos there into political opportunity back home. That’s despite many agreeing that it was ultimately time for U.S. forces to leave that country. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, negotiated a peace deal that would have seen U.S. forces withdraw months earlier, one that was cheered by much of his party. But many of those leading Republicans are now criticizing Biden, not for what he’s doing in sending U.S. troops home but for how he’s doing it. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called the chaotic withdrawal “an embarrassing spectacle, a diplomatic humiliation and a national security catastrophe.”