U.S. Secretary of State faces angry lawmakers at hearing on Afghanistan withdrawal

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday defended the Biden administration’s much-criticized handling of the military withdrawal from Afghanistan in a contentious congressional hearing. 

Appearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Blinken faced complaints from angry lawmakers about the administration’s response to the quick collapse of the Afghan government and, more specifically, the State Department’s actions. 

Republicans savaged the response as “a disaster” and “a disgrace” while even Democrats allowed that the entire operation could have been handled better.

The State Department has come under heavy criticism from both sides for not doing enough and not acting quickly enough to