In The News
Auchincloss: ‘There was never going to be a ticker-tape parade out of Afghanistan’
After a young Harvard graduate named Jake Auchincloss deployed to Afghanistan with the U.S. Marine Corps in 2012, he commanded patrols in the southern province of Helmand, guiding infantry through villages that the Taliban were seeking to control. Now a Democratic Congressman representing the 4th District of Massachusetts, Auchincloss was one of several Jewish Afghan War veterans reflecting on a dramatic turnaround since their days overseas. In a weeklong offensive earlier this month, the … Continue Reading
August 30, 2021
Rep. Auchincloss warns of next ‘Bush-like president who tries to bluster their way into war’
Afghanistan seeing the final U.S. troops leave on Monday ending the 20-years-long conflict, is discussed by veteran of the war, Rep. Jake Auchincloss. Rep. Auchincloss tells Joy Reid, ‘We've got to make sure the next time a Bush-like president tries to bluster their way into a war of choice, that Barbara Lee has some backup and that backup should come especially from younger veterans like … Continue Reading
August 28, 2021
MA Democrat says Biden made ‘high integrity’ call on Afghanistan
VIDEO - Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., says President Biden made an intelligent decision to let Afghans fight for their … Continue Reading
August 28, 2021
MA Democrat says Biden made ‘high integrity’ call on Afghanistan
MA Democrat says Biden made ‘high integrity’ call on Afghanistan Aug. 28, 2021 - 4:46 - Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., says President Biden made an intelligent decision to let Afghans fight for their … Continue Reading
August 27, 2021
Congressman’s service in Afghanistan behind his support of Biden’s decision to withdraw
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) ? Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss served in Afghanistan as a Marine in 2012, and said his experience there has driven his support for President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the war-torn country. “What was apparent even to a lieutenant in 2012 was that we could win every battle against the Taliban and yet not be able to win the war,” Auchincloss, a first-term Democrat, said on a taping of WPRI 12’s Newsmakers. “When we first … Continue Reading
August 27, 2021
Rep. Auchincloss: Biden 'had the integrity to make a hard and wrenching decision' on Afghanistan
August 27, 2021
Rep. Auchincloss: The U.S. Needs To Maintain an Over-the-Horizon Counterterrorism Capability To Deprive [Terrorists] of a Base of Operations in Afghanistan
EXCERPT: AUCHINCLOSS: "The war in Afghanistan is going to end as it began, bringing terrorists to justice. The architects of this atrocity need to know that the United States, whether it takes ten days or ten years, is going to find them and kill them. And the Biden administration must, as the President said they were, must sustain an over-the-horizon counterterrorism capability so attacks like this do not hit the U.S. homeland in the years to … Continue Reading
August 26, 2021
Newsmakers 8/26/2021: Congressman Jake Auchincloss
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Among President Joe Biden’s most vocal supporters of the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan is U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Massachusetts. Auchincloss served in Afghanistan as a U.S. Marine in 2012, and said Biden’s decision was the right one, though the execution of the plan could have gone smoother. Auchincloss also weighed in on the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and what it could mean to towns in his district including Attleboro, Taunton and … Continue Reading
August 22, 2021
Rep. Jake Auchincloss: Americans never had a strong political partner in Afghanistan
August 18, 2021
Video: US congressman: ‘We had to wrap up a forever war’
August 17, 2021
What went wrong in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan? Two lawmakers weigh in
As more American and allied flights are leaving the capital of Afghanistan Thursday, an ever-growing panic descends on the city. More American troops and marines arrived, but despite U.S. efforts,Taliban fighters are hindering movement toward the Kabul airport, leaving thousands of civilians trapped. With support from the Pulitzer Center, Jane Ferguson reports on the situation in Kabul. Read the Full Transcript Judy Woodruff: And joining us now are two lawmakers with experience … Continue Reading
August 17, 2021
Talking Afghanistan With Congressman Jake Auchincloss
This is the Radio Boston rundown for August 17, 2021. Jamie Bologna is our host. Local reaction continues today after the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, and the dramatic scenes of Afghans trying to flee, as American forces hastily evacuated Kabul. Governor Charlie Baker today said in a statement on Twitter that the Commonwealth "is ready to assist Afghan refugees seeking safety and peace in America." Here to talk about the latest on ground and the Biden administration's … Continue Reading
August 17, 2021
Four Capitol Hill veterans split on U.S. pullout
Although Congress is currently in recess, lawmakers have taken to the airwaves and social media in recent days to offer support, recriminations and other commentaries on the U.S.’s departure from Afghanistan after 20 years and the Taliban’s rapid conquest of the country. In interviews with Jewish Insider on Monday, four House of the 74 total House veterans — including two Afghanistan veterans — offered a range of views on President Joe Biden’s approach to the situation. Rep. Brian Mast … Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
Like Biden, Attleboro area congressman blames Afghan government for nation's fall
U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a former Marine who led a platoon while serving in Afghanistan in 2012, on Monday put the blame for the catastrophic fall of Afghanistan on its “corrupt” leaders while praising “rank-and-file” soldiers. “I served with Afghan rank and file — they were good soldiers and loyal to their country,” he said in an email to The Sun Chronicle. “But they had no faith in their corrupt leadership — the Afghan president fleeing in the face of the Taliban is an exemplar of the … Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
“A Boondoggle of a Counterinsurgency That Had No Endgame”
The Afghan government fell Sunday in the culmination of a lightning-fast Taliban offensive that met little resistance. The United States, in its last act before withdrawing from the country after a 20-year commitment, has sent thousands of troops to take control of Kabul’s international airport and evacuate personnel. As debates rage about the legacy of the war and the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal, the immediate, critical goal is to get lingering Americans, Afghan allies, … Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
Rep. Auchincloss responds to situation in Afghanistan after previously serving there
SEEKONK, Mass. (WPRI) — Over the last 20 years, many of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan were from Southern New England, including Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss. After graduating from Harvard, Auchincloss joined the Marines and commanded infantry in Afghanistan and special operations in Panama. Auchincloss, a first-term Democrat, was a platoon commander in Afghanistan in 2012 at the end of the Obama-era surge and spoke with 12 News as the takeover by the Taliban … Continue Reading
August 15, 2021
Veteran, Rep. Jake Auchincloss: Afghanistan's Collapse To Taliban Is 'Painful' To Watch
BOSTON (CBS) — Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss commanded infantry troops in Afghanistan in 2012. He shares the emptiness that so many fellow veterans and their families feel right now as news from Afghanistan continues to show the Taliban taking control and approaching the capital city Kabul. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled Kabul and the U.S. evacuated Americans from the country on Sunday. “As a veteran, it’s painful. It’s painful to think of the Afghan interpreters with … Continue Reading
August 15, 2021
Rep. Auchincloss: Biden Was Given a ‘Series of Bad Options’ in Afghanistan by His Predecessors
EXCERPT: AUCHINCLOSS: "One of the scenarios mapped out to this president was a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. This was conceivable when he made the decision. But he made the tough and high-integrity call to not pass this failed war on to yet another president. He was given a series of bad options from his predecessors and he looked at the situation on the ground and said, 'What do I get for another six months, for another year, another 10, 20 years?' The United States will win every … Continue Reading
August 15, 2021
Mass. congressman Jake Auchincloss calls Taliban takeover of Afghanistan 'distressing, appalling'
BOSTON — A Massachusetts congressman who served the U.S. Marine Corps is calling the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan "distressing and appalling." U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who represents the Bay State's 4th congressional district, spent time in Afghanistan in 2012. He led patrols through villages contested by the Taliban and worked closely with Afghan interpreters. Despite the Taliban advance following the departure of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Auchincloss does support the … Continue Reading
August 14, 2021
Mass. Congressman Who Served in Afghanistan Says Its Gov't Can Hold Kabul
Congressman Jake Auchincloss, who represents Massachusetts' fourth district, says the United States is making the right move by drawing down our presence in Afghanistan. The Taliban continues to advance towards to capital, capturing key cities along the way. Auchincloss is a Marine veteran who led patrols through villages contested by the Taliban in 2012. He has a unique perspective on the situation happening now in that country. “Now is an emergency, yes, but also an opportunity for … Continue Reading