Republican Derrick Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL, backed by former President Donald Trump, launched a new campaign ad over the weekend, one year after Kabul fell to the Taliban after President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal.
Van Orden’s ad is released to mark the first anniversary of Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, after which the Taliban completed their takeover of the country.
The hasty withdrawal — under President Joe Biden — lasted roughly two weeks, and amid the chaos, a bombing happened outside one of the gates to the Kabul airport, where 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghans were confined and ultimately killed — which Van Orden emphasized in his ad.
For weeks after the U.S. removed its remaining forces from the country, controversy surrounded the withdrawal and the estimated thousands of Americans, American allies, and Afghans left behind. Many U.S. citizens, such as King, used their contacts to help save countless lives.
Van Orden’s ad also talks about his feelings of disgust at the time and how no one has been held accountable, fired, or even apologized for the disastrous withdrawal. “It’s not a partisan issue. It’s just wrong,” he stated in the ad.
The digital ad transcript:
Reporter: This is totally a nightmare scenario.
Van Orden: Like you a year ago, I was disgusted when Biden fled Afghanistan. Today, I’m still pissed.
Biden’s failed America.
13 of my brothers and sisters are dead and thousands of American and our allies were abandoned to the Taliban.
No one’s been held accountable. No one’s been fired.
It’s not a partisan issue. It’s just wrong.
I will never apologize for protecting American citizens.
Last year, shortly after the withdrawal, Van Orden told Breitbart News Saturday that every civilian or military leader who had a hand in the botched Afghanistan withdrawal should tender their resignation.
“It is an unmitigated disaster, and it did not need to happen,” Van Orden said directly about the situation. “Let’s just be super clear about that. This did not need to happen. And if you think about that last presser that Joe Biden did, what he said that wasn’t inaccurate or misinformed was intentionally disingenuous or a lie.”
Van Orden is running for Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District against Democrat Brad Pfaff. The seat is currently held by Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI). However, Kind has announced his retirement — meaning he will not run for reelection — after multiple scandals were unearthed around him.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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