Now Democrats Demand Accountability? – The American Spectator | USA News and PoliticsThe American Spectator

The Signal app episode shows how Trump has changed Washington: Democrats now demand accountability. What an amazing turnaround for a party that demanded none for four years despite countless Biden administration failures.

According to Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of the Atlantic, on March 11, he received a Signal app request from Mike Waltz, White House national security adviser, or “someone purporting to be Mike Waltz.” From this initial contact, a series of contacts occurred that peaked with Goldberg receiving on March 15 a sequence of events about upcoming U.S. attacks on Yemen. The actual attacks occurred hours later. Waltz appeared on ABC’s “This Week” the next day to discuss the attacks’ success. Eight days later, Goldberg published his piece in the Atlantic detailing his inclusion in what had transpired. (RELATED: This Aspect of the Atlantic’s “Scoop” Is All Wet)

If true, and Goldberg released a series of Signal group chat texts on March 26, then glaring errors occurred. The use of common technology for the most serious military information tops the list. The lack of professionalism within the group chat communications is another: you should always presume that what you say is going to be repeated in some form or fashion. Not simply verifying the participants on such a conversation is another, especially with days lapsing after initial contact. These, and others, were mistakes that should not have been made.

Now, enter the Democrats. Everyone who can find a microphone has read from the same talking points of outrage. It is a stunning conversion for a party with their record over the past four years, during which the Biden administration committed failure after failure in foreign and defense policy. (RELATED: From Watergate … To This?)

Just over four years ago, the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan utterly failed. The result: the death of 13 U.S. military personnel, the collapse of the Afghanistan regime America had supported (at a cost of trillions of dollars), the Taliban’s seizure of the country, and a worldwide humiliation for America. (RELATED: Gen. Mark Milley: A Case for Treason?)

Almost immediately upon taking office, the Biden administration relaxed Trump’s sanctions against Iran’s terrorist regime — and continued to. This allowed Iran to greatly increase its oil exports, amounting to $32-$35 billion by late 2023. It also released $6 billion in frozen funds to Tehran in exchange for five American hostages in 2023 — this after the Obama administration had made swaps (in 2009 and 2016) for much lower amounts — and another $10 billion in 2024. Of course, Iran has funded terrorist attacks through its proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Syria’s Assad regime. (RELATED: Trump Administration Imposes Sanctions on Iran Oil)

The Biden administration’s glaring foreign policy weakness unquestionably emboldened Putin for his invasion of Ukraine. The Biden administration would provide billions in aid (with inadequate oversight) to Ukraine, but with no discernible endgame for reaching a peace. China and other U.S. adversaries (e.g., Maduro’s seizure of power in a fraudulent Venezuelan election) would be equally emboldened to challenge America’s interests. (RELATED: Joe Biden: The Most Dangerous Man in America)

During Israel’s war of self-defense against Hamas terrorism, the Biden administration paused arms for Tel Aviv. (RELATED: Biden’s Foreign Policy Was a Colossal Failure — From Ukraine to China)

Throughout the Biden administration, there was a focus on DEI and other social initiatives in the Pentagon that diverted money, manpower, and focus from our military’s war-fighting preparedness. (RELATED: Wokeness Is Responsible for the Military Recruitment Crisis)

Similarly, the U.S. southern border was thrown open as soon as Biden took office. The resulting influx of untold millions of unvetted illegal immigrants — a security threat in its own right — also allowed in untold numbers from the U.S. Terrorist Watchlist. The administration also “lost” untold numbers of “gotaways.”

On energy, the Biden administration’s war on fossil fuels reduced American energy production below what it could, and should, have been, thereby reducing America’s energy security and that of allies America could have supplied.

Finally, there is the glaring question as to who was overseeing U.S. foreign and defense policy for months, if not years, during the Biden administration, when the President himself was clearly not.

Yet, throughout this abbreviated list of foreign and defense policy failures, seemingly no one was ever fired or resigned. Business as incompetently usual carried on.

Throughout this farce, Democrats not only did not say anything, did not call for resignations, demand firings, initiate inquiries — they did everything in their power to cover up and excuse them. Had Kamala Harris won last November, these same fiascos would be continuing today. And Democrats, those now calling for accountability in the Trump administration, would be saying not a word.

Make no mistake: errors should have consequences. Good intent is not a sufficient excuse for bad outcomes, especially when it comes to America’s security. This is rightfully the mentality behind DOGE: government jobs are privileges to be based on performance, not sinecures.

Yet, what occurred with the Signal app episode was unquestionably an unintended error. What occurred over the last four years with the Biden administration’s frenzy of fiascos was, for the most part, not simply errors — they were the policies themselves, carried out as had been intended. In contrast, the Yemen strikes were a success, were something four years overdue, and were necessitated by failures committed during those four years by the Biden administration and brushed aside by Democrat and establishment media apologists.

To have Democrats condemn (including Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, dismissively laughing at comparisons with Biden) what they more than condoned — what they facilitated by their purposeful silence — during the Biden administration is to go beyond hypocrisy. It is the rankest, most transparent, and most deplorable political opportunism. It comes from a party devoid of policy ideas and leaders; one that knows their only chance for advancement lies in the hope of dragging their opponents below themselves.

# # #

J.T. Young is the author of the recent book, Unprecedented Assault: How Big Government Unleashed America’s Socialist Left, from RealClear Publishing, and has over three decades of experience working in Congress, the Department of the Treasury, the Office of Management and Budget, and representing a Fortune 20 company.