Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) went on the defensive during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” when Joe Kernen questioned him about his inconsistent stance on accountability. Kernen began by asking if Coons had called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and the loss of $70 billion in military equipment to the Taliban, or when he went missing in action for two weeks.
Coons tried hard to deflect.
“There is nothing that Lloyd Austin did by getting healthcare treatment that put our national security at risk,” Coons argued, attempting to separate the issue from the Afghanistan withdrawal.
This, of course, is incorrect. As PJ Media reported at the time, the Biden White House was unaware that Austin was even in the hospital.
Kernen, unconvinced, pressed him on the Afghanistan matter, asking why Coons had not demanded Austin’s resignation when the catastrophic withdrawal took place.
Coons claimed that the use of Signal violated Pentagon protocols.
“I am not saying that the attack on the Houthis was not a success,” he said. “I am saying that he demonstrably violated a directive that was just shared in the Pentagon about, ‘Don’t use Signal for classified information. It is not reliably secure.’”
As we’ve previously reported, the Biden administration not only approved the use of Signal for government communications, but the chat also revealed no classified information.
Undeterred, Kernen continued to press on, reminded Coons that the failure in Afghanistan was a key point of contention, and asked whether the Secretary of Defense’s actions warranted any accountability. Coons attempted to shift the conversation, blaming the Trump administration for Biden’s botched withdrawal.
“It was a mistake for Donald Trump to negotiate with the Taliban an agreement for winding down the Afghanistan war,” Coons claimed, trying to shift the blame to Trump. But Kernen cut in, directly challenging him: “So, this was Donald Trump’s fault? Afghanistan was Donald Trump’s fault?”
Related: Sorry Libs, You Lost All Credibility on Accountability
Coons’ response lacked clarity. “If you let me finish my sentence—” he began, but Kernen had already made his point. Coons continued to argue that the execution of the withdrawal was a “badly handled” operation under Biden, acknowledging the tragedy of the 13 Marines’ deaths. But when Kernen once again asked whether Coons believed Austin should have been held accountable, Coons wavered. “I don’t know whether Lloyd Austin’s the person who should’ve been held accountable for it,” he admitted, ultimately agreeing that there should have been accountability, though he could not offer any specifics.
Convenient, isn’t it?
This exchange didn’t merely reveal Coons’ inability to confront his own hypocrisy; it laid bare the larger, deeply ingrained hypocrisy of the entire Democratic Party. After the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan and Lloyd Austin’s two-week disappearance, there was no demand for accountability from the Democrats.
Coons’ attempts to shift blame to the Trump administration only underscored his refusal to hold his own party’s leaders to the same standards they so eagerly impose on others. It’s a glaring double standard that exposes the political convenience of accountability when it suits their narrative.
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