Sen. John McCain has treated the surrogates of President Donald Trump with kid gloves when it came to Afghanistan, aiming most of his ire at the president, but not anymore, the Washington Examiner reported.
McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, held back plaudits for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in his scathing critique of the United States' position in the war-torn country.
"After nearly 16 years of war, we are at a stalemate in Afghanistan," the Arizona Republican said. "Worse, we have no strategy to end that stalemate and achieve victory."
McCain delivered a similar message to Mattis directly last week.
"Mattis testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that we are not winning in Afghanistan," McCain said, the Examiner reported. "And yet, six months into the new administration, it still has not delivered a strategy. We cannot keep going like this. If the administration fails to develop a strategy for success, Congress will need to play a greater role."
The criticism comes in the aftermath of Trump's decision to send 4,000 more troops to Afghanistan with no plan to rebuild.