Thread by @ryanobles

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy just held a press conference where he reiterated his call for Speaker Pelosi to reconvene Congress and pass a bill that would prohibit the White House from pulling troops until all Americans come home. We pressed him on a number of topics..

I asked McCarthy about the bill- which specifically states that troops must stay in Afghanistan but only if it is safe.
McCarthy conceded the bill said that:
"The only way we want troops to be there, is to make sure Americans get back safely and that the troops are safe."

An argument can be made give the huge number of casualties already.. (an argument McCarthy has made) that the situation is already unsafe. And the bill would effectively still give the White House the discretion to make that call.

.@JakeSherman pressed McCarthy on his personal opinion on if there should be any American troops there long term.
McCarthy initially said everyone wants all the troops out.. but then said he is in favor of keeping the Bagram Air Base open indefinitely.

Asked specifically if there should actually be MORE troops sent into Afghanistan.. McCarthy replied:
"If the military says it makes them safer, Yes I would."

.@AliVitali asked McCarthy if he agreed with many of his colleagues that Biden should resign or be impeached.
"There will be a day of reckoning. And we have a constitutional rights," but then said: "Everyone's responsibility should only be focused on getting the Americans out."

So it is pretty clear that McCarthy is not going to join the chorus on the unlikely effort of removing Biden from office.. but he is warning that should the GOP come to power all bets are off.

Here is the @GOPLeader telling @JakeSherman he would’ve kept Bagram Air Base open indefinitely.
“I think it gave us the opportunity for in the future, to maintain peace.”

And then @mmillerwtop asks about bringing in more troops.. McCarthy says yes if the military thinks it necessary.. and then goes on to say:
“I don’t think people are arguing about whether we should have left or not in Afghanistan, it’s how”