Part two
The first part of this piece in which the writer dealt with the introduction and NORMAN-HARRIS IMPEACHMENT ALLEGATION I was carried out yesterday by this column; this is the continuation.
Upon advice and counsel of Blinken, on July 8, 2021, President Biden stated ‘‘there’s going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comparable.”
On August 12, 2021, State Department spokesman, Ned Price, serving under the authority of Secretary Blinken stated, ‘‘The embassy remains open, and we plan to continue our diplomatic work in Afghanistan.’’
On August 15, 2021, the American Flag at the United States Embassy in Kabul was taken down.
On August 15, 2021, Kabul and the Green Zone–the heart of the American diplomatic presence in Afghani1stan–was recaptured by the Taliban and remains under its control.
On August 25, 2021, because of Blinken’s failure to plan orderly evacuation American citizens were unable to reach the Kabul airport to leave Afghanistan.
On August 26, 2021, Blinken’s failure to execute his duties to evacuate safely and efficiently of all United States government personnel, dependents, and private United States citizens when in danger directly gave rise to a dangerous scenario at the Kabul airport enabling terrorists to execute a deadly attack that killed eleven marines and a Navy medic and further undermined his abilities to execute his duties under 22 U.S.C. 7 4802(b).
Blinken’s actions and omissions, including ignoring critical intelligence received from the embassy in Kabul and United States intelligence agencies have left American property, military equipment and weapons in the hands of enemies of the United States, left American citizens stranded in life threatening situations in dereliction of his duties as Secretary of State. These actions have eroded American interests and security as well as our credibility and relationships amongst our closest allies.
Wherefore, Antony John Blinken, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.
NORMAN-HARRIS IMPEACHMENT ALLEGATION II
Allegation II of the Harris-Norman impeachment resolution asserts Blinken, in his conduct while Secretary of State, engaged in a pattern of conduct that is incompatible with his duties as an Officer of the United States.
On August 10, 2021, as the crisis in Afghanistan was evident and worsening, Blinken’s spokesman, Ned Price, stated that ‘‘the United States continues to have leverage… and the Afghan Government has tremendous leverage.” This assertion now proven obviously erroneous constitutes provision of false information to the Congress and American citizens.
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban captured Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Over one week later, on August 25, 2021, Blinken gave his first public briefing or interview since the collapse of Afghanistan. This is in direct violation of his statutory duty to keep the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives fully and currently informed with respect to all activities and responsibilities within the jurisdiction of these committees (22 U.S.C. 2680(b)).
On July 13, 2021, nearly two dozen American diplomats, still remaining in the Kabul embassy, sent a memo directly to Secretary Blinken through the State Department’s ‘‘dissent’’ channel. Upon receiving the dissent cable from the Embassy, Blinken had a moral duty and was statutorily obligated to inform the Congress and American public (22 U.S.C. 2680(b)) that President Biden’s remarks needed to be clarified to prevent any confusion at home and abroad.
Throughout the month of July and into August, prior to the collapse of the Afghan Government, the United States Intelligence Community warned President Biden and his top advisors, including Secretary Blinken, that the situation in Afghanistan was worsening, the Afghan military was ill-prepared to deal with the Taliban, and a preemptive removal of American troops was ill-advised.
In direct conflict with the intelligence and advice provided by his own diplomats and the intelligence community, Blinken failed to advice and counsel the President accordingly and did not inform the Congress nor American citizens at home and abroad of the dangers posed by the advancing Taliban of which he was explicitly aware.
As a result, the Afghan Government collapsed in the month of August 2021 and American forces have been struggling to retrieve American civilians and allies, and a humanitarian crisis has erupted at Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul. Secretary Blinken has not informed the American public nor will Congress of what actions are taken to ensure the safety of all Americans and American allies in Afghanistan.
Wherefore, Antony John Blinken, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.
[MY SUBMISSION TO REVISE THE NORMAN-HARRIS RESOLUTION TO IMPEACH ANTONY BLINKEN WITH A THIRD IMPEACHMENT ALLEGATION]
IMPEACHMENT ALLEGATION III
Antony Blinken, as U.S. Secretary of State has and continues to provide material diplomatic support to a foreign terrorist organization, namely the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1182 (B)(i)(bb), (iv); 18 USC 2339 (B) (a) (1); (d) (E); (2); 18 USC § 2339A and therefore should be impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted by the U.S. Senate.
The TPLF was officially designated a Tier III terrorist organization by the U.S. Government until it was granted an exemption by Homeland Security on June 15, 2014, in a Policy Memorandum which stated:
The TPLF qualifies as a Tier III terrorist organization under INA section 212(a)(3)(B)(vi)(III) on the basis of its violent activities before it became part of the ruling coalition and the government of Ethiopia in May 1991.
The Ethiopian Government has outlawed the TPLF as a terrorist organization for numerous acts of terrorism it has committed. The TPLF falls within the meaning of 18 U.S.C §2331 (A), which defines “international terrorism” as activities that “involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State…
The TPLF is a terrorist organization listed in the Global Terrorism Database (GTD).
The TPLF is a terrorist organization listed in the Terror Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC).
Blinken has been a mouthpiece for the terrorist TPLF following the TPLF’s terrorist attack on the Ethiopian Northern Command on November 4, 2020.
Blinken, beginning on or about November 14, 2020, has championed the cause of the terrorist TPLF by providing diplomatic support resulting in incalculable damage to the bilateral relations of the U.S. and Ethiopia.
On November 14, 2020, Susan Rice, Biden’s Domestic Policy Advisor, frantically sounded the alarm to save the terrorist TPLF for the first time tweeting: “We need principled leadership on this @StateDept. @AsstSecStateAF Please and fast.”
On November 18, 2020, at 8:15 PM, Secretary of State-to-be Antony Blinken imperiously commanded in a tweet that the Ethiopian government should sit down and negotiate with the TPLF. “Deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, reports of targeted ethnic violence, and the risk to regional peace and security. The TPLF and Ethiopian authorities should take urgent steps to end the conflict, enable humanitarian access, and protect civilians.”
On November 18, 2020, Rice retweeted Blinken’s tweet of the same day.
On November 24, 2020, National Security Advisor-to-be Jake Sullivan tweeted imperiously commanding “immediate dialogue”. “I’m deeply concerned about the risk of violence against civilians, including potential war crimes, in the fighting around Mekelle in Ethiopia. Civilians must be protected, and humanitarian access must be opened. Both sides should immediately begin dialogue facilitated by the AU.”
On June 29, 2021, Robert F. Godec, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, falsely or in reckless disregard for the truth testified the U.S. has never recognized the TPLF as a terrorist organization.
Because of Blinken’s insistence the Ethiopian Government negotiate with the TPLF terrorist group, diplomatic relations of the two countries have reached a new low.
Well-informed commentators have observed, “Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week [early August 2021 rebuffed a request to meet face to face with a top Biden administration official [USAID Administrator Samantha Power ] to address the country’s civil war and worsening humanitarian crisis in the Tigray region, dealing a blow to U.S. efforts to tamp down a conflict that threatens to fuel famine and destabilize the wider Horn of Africa.”
On August 13, 2021, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan announced President Joe Biden is sending his special envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman to Ethiopia to get the Ethiopian Government to negotiate with the terrorist TPLF. Given his mission to legitimize a terrorist group, Feltman was unable to have a face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
On August 25, 2021, it was suggested in the press that the U.S. will remove Ethiopia from its AGOA program if it refuses to negotiate with the TPLF terrorist group.
Until recently, Ethiopia was America’s strongest ally working together on a variety of issues including the global struggle against terrorism.
Given the Afghanistan debacle and the abysmal state of bilateral relations between Ethiopia and the U.S. over the Biden administration’s support of the TPLF terrorist group and the special role of Blinken, U.S. interests in the Horn region and beyond will be severely affected.
Blinken’s diplomatic support for the terrorist TPLF is the equivalent of giving diplomatic support for ISIS-K which attacked and killed 13 and wounded at least 18 American service personnel and over 150 Afghans.
Wherefore, Antony John Blinken, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.
How I wish Senator John McCain was here to lead the impeachment case Antony Blinken!
No one can say, “I did not know Blinken was incompetent and dangerous to America.”
Senator John McCain was right on the button when he opposed Antony Blinken’s nomination to become Barack Obama’s Deputy Secretary of State.
Senator McCain prophetically spoke of the disaster Blinken was to bring about.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
The Ethiopian Herald September 1/2021
