Tamika Hamilton, a military sergeant and California Republican looking to unseat Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) in the midterms, told Breitbart News Saturday this weekend that the withdrawal from Afghanistan was “catastrophic.”
Host Matthew Boyle, Breitbart News’s Washington political editor, first asked Hamilton about her thoughts on Garamendi’s comment this week on CNN where he said the United States should not send in troops to get the American citizens trapped in Afghanistan due to President Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal.
Hamilton said, “It is pretty remarkable. I did a video when I posted the same day, and the thing that we don’t do with Americans, we don’t say that we’re gonna leave our countrymen behind. We always find a way, and much like this administration, another word that came out of John Garamendi’s mouth just shows how catastrophic the situation is. Right now, more than ever, we leaders to stand up and explain the situation of what’s happening in Afghanistan, and the American people deserve that and right now are not getting it.”
Hamilton having fought in the global war on terrorism, Boyle asked her about Garamendi’s comment about leaving people behind. Boyle mentioned that leaving people behind is not something that America does.
“No, we do not. And I am still serving,” she mentioned. “I’ve been in the Air Force 18 years, I was active for 14, deployed twice, and I’m a supply sergeant. …One of the things that I found astonishing about this whole situation is that with all equipment behind, billions and billions of dollars just left there. … This is a catastrophic withdrawal. … You couldn’t even have anticipated.”
“Garamendi, who’s never served, much like a lot of people that are in Congress, they don’t understand what they’re talking about is this is absolutely horrendous. And we do not leave our fellow men behind, and now we’re at the mercy of the Taliban because they are allowing the Marines and other servicemen to do everything they can to get the people out,” she added.
Boyle said Garamendi is the definition of a career politician, having served off and on in office since 1974 and never served in the military, asking Hamilton what she can do and how she’s better than Garamendi.
“Well, I’m a regular person. I’m just a mom. And right now, more than ever, we need service leaders. We need people that are ready to step up and have the courage to not be sold out to any party and be able to truly represent people,” Hamilton said. “This district is a wonderful district. I’m not running in vain. We put up amazing numbers, 45 percent last year, and we’re running hard. I’m an outsider. I’ve never done this before.”
Being a normal person, Hamilton also said she’s never changed her conservative views and has traditional family values that her family goes by. “I’m married to a [law enforcement officer], we’re about law and order, and we have our people living the American dream, and what I’m doing is the American dream, and we’re doing this here in the district. Garamendi is severely out of touch, and he doesn’t even live here,” she added.
Boyle asked what makes her a conservative and how she ended up a Republican as a black woman. She responded, “Well, I was raised… Obviously, my name is Tamika, and I’m black, but I was raised this way. My grandparents were veterans. They were a hard worker originally from Maryland, they also raised tobacco, and they were all about our family of the Lord and serving people.”
She added, “This is not a boring thing; obviously, I never imagined I would be running for office, but everything that we see today and happening in Washington and then the State of California, it’s like I had no choice. What we see in Washington right now is absolutely horrendous, and we need people that are going to speak out against those that wanna defund the police, that want to continue this tax and spend that’s gone out of control [sic]. And stand up for our children, and what better person to do that [than] someone like me, who is literally just one of us… I don’t have this insane background of Ivy League anything. This is just my husband and I — my grandparents had passed away. I was raised by them, my parents weren’t in my life, and so I had a common person taking a stand and having the courage to live.”
Boyle asked what Hamilton’s thoughts are on Biden and the administration not sending anyone into Afghanistan to ensure the Americans and Afghan allies get out safely, as the British are, instead of only providing “overwatch,” which is what Biden said at a press conference.
“’Cause it all goes back that this man has no idea what sacrifice, he does not understand the sacrifice that you would make to your nation, and I can’t say enough how we need change, and not only in this district but people that have served,” she said, noting that she wishes she was able to go to Afghanistan and help. She mentioned that a lot of people from her unit in California had volunteered to go and help in Afghanistan. She said that she would have gone but is restricted because she has a baby.
Hamilton is “floored by the incompetence” of the withdrawal: “We need to get out people, American soldiers are not afraid to take the risk and go and do what needs to be done. We just need the permission to do it right now.”
Breitbart News Saturday airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Eastern.
Follow Jacob Bliss on Twitter @jacobmbliss.
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