(PresidentialHill.com)- White House officials are bracing for a GOP investigation into the Afghanistan withdrawal. The investigation is set to take place when the GOP regains control of the House in the incoming 118th Congress in January, according to Fox News.
The Washington Post reports that the investigation “could prove more emotionally difficult and politically damaging” than the investigations into Hunter Biden that are also set to be launched in the new year, despite the latter garnering more public attention.
The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and more than 170 Afghan civilians in a terrorist bombing outside of Kabul airport.
The White House reportedly braced for congressional inquiries from the moment the withdrawal took place but is now facing an “empowered opposition” that has gained control of the lower chamber.
While the White House claims that the investigation into the president’s son is a “conspiratorial witch hunt,” Democrats are conceding that a botched military withdrawal that resulted in American and Afghan deaths has a right to be put under scrutiny by Congress.
Democrats might reportedly dismiss the claims that the business dealings of Hunter Biden are of concern to regular Americans, but few will make that argument about the withdrawal.
The investigations might come as a hindrance to President Biden’s re-election campaign. The incident gave Biden a bad image last year as his approval ratings plummeted amid footage and images of the chaos erupting at Kabul airport. The Biden administration also reportedly left Afghan translators who had worked with the U.S. military behind.
The investigations might reportedly yield little additional information as reports have already been compiled by congressmen, hearings have already been conducted, and as polls show Americans’ interest in the issue has waned.
Still, the investigation will remain a top priority for Republicans as their new majority gives them subpoena power.
