In a move that may come as a surprise, Republicans have introduced articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives. They aren’t for Joe Biden, though. Rather, they are for Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whose State Department has been running point on the Afghanistan evacuation that has now ended in tragedy.

The Daily Caller has the details.

House Republicans Introduce Articles Of Impeachment For Secretary Of State Antony Blinken

Read the resolution and more here: https://t.co/adR9pYz0a9

— Henry Rodgers (@henryrodgersdc) August 27, 2021

Two House Republicans introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary Of State Antony Blinken on Friday, saying he failed at his job after at least 13 U.S. service members were killed in one of the deadliest days for U.S. service members in Afghanistan in over a decade.

Republican Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Andy Harris of Maryland introduced the resolution, obtained by the Daily Caller, saying President Joe Biden and specifically, Blinken are solely responsible for the ongoing bloodshed in Afghanistan.

I’m not going to over-hype this. There’s zero chance these articles of impeachment pass, and I’m sure we’ll all be disappointed by the limited number of Republicans who sign onto them. Yet, the message being sent is worth the effort here.

As I wrote yesterday, Republicans have to make the choice of whether they want to keep operating under a ridiculous, faux facade of decorum in regards to the Biden administration or if they want to play hardball. For four years under Donald Trump, Democrats played hardball. They pushed the limits and they took no prisoners. The GOP can do the same now or they can keep losing.

Regardless, there’s also a moral imperative to act, even if those actions are doomed to fail. Blinken is directly, operationally responsible for what has transpired. 13 American soldiers are dead because of his incompetence and failure in conjunction with Joe Biden himself. He has to go, and if he won’t resign, Republicans should at least make it abundantly clear that he needs to go. That’s the purpose of introducing these articles of impeachment. Make Democrats defend him and own this.

We’ll see how many other Republicans get on board. I will say that if Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy doesn’t, he shouldn’t even be considered for Majority Leader after 2022 if the GOP retakes the House. This is the time for leaders to stand up and lead, not cower.