Secretary of State Antony Blinken did attend the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing yesterday. He testified before the committee regarding the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, marking it as his last appearance before this committee on this topic.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday admitted that U.S. tax dollars had reached the Taliban but described it as a “small percentage.” Specifically, he acknowledged that around $10.4 million might have indirectly benefited the Taliban, which is indeed less than 1% of the total aid intended for Afghanistan, but is still a massive sum when you consider the real impact of that amount of money on the ground in Afghanistan.
Blinken emphasized that most U.S. aid was directed through independent groups for humanitarian purposes, not to fund the Taliban directly. This statement came during his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on December 11, 2024, where he faced scrutiny over the effectiveness and oversight of U.S. aid distribution in Afghanistan.
During the same testimony, Blinken faced skepticism from lawmakers, particularly from Republicans like Rep. Brian Mast and Rep. Joe Wilson, who criticized the lack of direct oversight and the potential misdirection of funds. They highlighted instances where the U.S. has previously been misled by third-party implementers, questioning the effectiveness of indirect aid distribution. The U.S. government’s strategy of using intermediaries to distribute aid is intended to circumvent direct funding to the Taliban, which is preposterous as the complexities of the Afghan situation, including the Taliban’s control over much of the country, makes it almost certain that aid will benefit them.
Antony Blinken was vacationing in the Hamptons during the catastrophic Afghanistan withdrawal.
Yesterday, instead of answering questions before the House, he chose to sip Aperol Spritz with UN diplomats who hate America.
He made his priorities clear. pic.twitter.com/BQU6FEMgvK
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) September 25, 2024
Meanwhile, let’s throw more money into the other bottomless pit
Blinken: “We’re determined, in the time that we have left, to make sure that, to the best of our ability, Ukraine has everything it needs to be as successful as possible and continue pushing back against Russian aggression.” pic.twitter.com/iNxu8ZsEs4
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) December 11, 2024