Gold Star Parents Furious at Biden for Afghanistan

Parents of Fallen Service Members‌ Demand Accountability from President Biden

Angry testimony this week by parents of the 13 military service members killed‌ during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has drawn renewed attention⁣ to President Joe Biden’s ongoing⁢ failure to ‌take responsibility for the ‍botched operation.

“Do what our son did, be a ⁤grown-ass man—admit to your mistakes,” said Darin Hoover, the father of Marine⁤ Staff ​Sgt. Darin T. Hoover.

The younger Hoover was killed by a suicide bomber at the Kabul airport ⁢in August 2021 while⁣ he was providing security for the ⁤final‍ stages of⁢ the U.S. evacuation. His father joined the parents ⁣of several other service members killed in the attack in condemning the Biden administration’s handling of the chaotic withdrawal and subsequent evasion⁢ of responsibility. Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) convened the meeting in his⁤ district so that the Gold Star families could give their testimonies.

“You all need to resign immediately,”⁢ the elder Hoover said ​of Biden and other officials, ⁢including Secretary⁤ of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary‌ Lloyd Austin. “Our sons and daughters have more integrity in their little toes ⁣than⁢ every one of them combined.”

Biden‌ and his aides have repeatedly sought to shift blame for the failures of ⁢the withdrawal, which saw the United States rush out of the country amid ​a Taliban takeover that he assured Americans would not happen.

Five days after the ⁤bombing, ‍Biden called the mission an ⁣”extraordinary ‌success.” In April,⁣ the White House released a⁢ long-delayed​ summary ⁤of classified internal reports⁤ on ​the ⁣evacuation, claiming the Trump administration had left them “no plans” to ‌get troops out of the country. In a press briefing regarding ⁤the report, ⁣White​ House spokesman John Kirby said that the document was “not ⁤about ​accountability today; it’s about‍ understanding.”