Former Obama official slams Biden’s foreign policy team: ‘needs to fire’ national security adviser
Dani Repass
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A former adviser in Obama’s White House called on President Biden to fire his national security adviser in an op-ed for USA Today.
“The disaster that unfolded in Afghanistan is illustrative of other major issues at the White House. The people, plans, and processes the president has put in place to keep America safe are not working,” Brett Bruen, the former director of Global Engagement for the Obama Administration, wrote.
Bruen also called out National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan by name.
“While [Jake Sullivan] knows all the theories and academic arguments in foreign policy, his overseas experience is less robust. It can lead to the disconnect between ideas and implementation,” Bruen wrote. “Yes, Biden wanted out of Afghanistan. It was on Sullivan to figure out how to achieve the president’s goal while ensuring we avoided potential pitfalls and problems. That’s clearly not what happened,” he added.
Bruen then slammed Biden himself, saying he too often rewards political allies with high-level jobs.
“Biden has too often treated too many posts as political party favors, naming the well-to-do or the well-connected to places like Turkey, where diplomatic experience is normally a prerequisite. Those appointments across the national security structure are a reflection of the arrogance that has accompanied the arrival of this team,” Bruen wrote.
Finally, Bruen laid out his plan for Biden moving forward:
“President Biden needs to fire his national security adviser and several other senior leaders who oversaw the botched execution of our withdrawal from Afghanistan,” he wrote. “There should be absolutely no more donors appointed to represent us abroad. Finally, there is an urgency to repairing the extensive damage done to our reputation and credibility on the world stage.”
“That’s going to require the president spending a lot more time than he has focused on global crises and listening to those who did not work on his campaign,” Bruen concluded.
People online have also been quick to criticize Jake Sullivan.
“Jake Sullivan is an unqualified, bloviating idiot,” Buzz Patterson wrote in a tweet.
“My goodness I hope this guy Jake Sullivan stops talking. ‘We take responsibility, but…’ They knew every damn thing but didn’t know squat. Administration is losing credibility with every word. The market dropping on each word. Please stop: Operation Cleanup is Making a Mess,” Charles Payne wrote in a tweet.
“Imagine being Jake Sullivan and not resigning right now,” Amy Tarkanian said in a tweet.
“Sort of appalling that Jake Sullivan is still employed today,” Luke Thompson said in a tweet.
Jake Sullivan has not responded to the Independent Chronicle’s request for comment.