GOP senator Rick Scott suggests Biden be removed from office over Afghanistan withdrawal

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Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida has suggested that Joe Biden’s cabinet should remove him from office following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s subsequent seizure of the country.

He said on Twitter: “After the disastrous events in Afghanistan, we must confront a serious question: Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office or has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment?”

His inflammatory comments – painting an incredibly unlikely scenario that would require support from Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratically controlled chambers of Congress – follow routine calls among Republican lawmakers to “impeach” the president and question his lucidity, as well as criticism of the events from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the wake of Taliban forces taking Kabul.

The GOP senator also called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to “immediately launch a bipartisan, bicameral probe” of the Biden administration’s response.

Republicans also praised Donald Trump’s “historic peace agreement” with the Taliban in 2020 paving the way for US withdrawal on an earlier timetable with an artificial deadline; on Sunday, Mr Scott accused the current administration of a “shortsighted and ill-prepared” withdrawal.

“Joe Biden let terrorism win,” he said in a statement. “While our immediate focus remains on the safe return of all service members, there is no doubt that the president’s hasty actions have needlessly put American lives on the line and the American people deserve answers.”

A website hosted by the Republican National Committee outlining the former president’s negotiations returned a 404 error on Monday.

“President Trump has continued to take the lead in peace talks as he signed a historic peace agreement with the Taliban in Afghanistan, which would end America’s longest running war,” the website said before its apparent removal.

Republican US Rep Adam Kinzinger, a vocal critic of the previous administration, criticised Republicans for attempting to shift blame solely to Mr Biden while they praised Mr Trump’s agenda and welcomed the return of American troops following a more than 20-year calamity.

“The naive Trump administration legitimised the Taliban by having ‘talks’ with them about peace and openly negotiating with terrorists, while the Biden administration tried to fulfill a campaign promise without any semblance of a plan or forethought into how this would play out,” he said. “And where are they now? What are they doing to save the countless lives being brutally murdered by the Taliban today?”