Former President Donald Trump has branded Afghanistan's president in hiding, Ashraf Ghani, "a total crook" and said "he got away with murder".
The 75-year-old Republican made the remarks during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday, August 17.
Trump was asked about his previous dealings with Taliban leaders and Afghan officials as he made preparations to withdraw US troops from the country, Newsweek reports.
"I wanted [the Taliban] to get a deal done with the Afghan government," the ex-POTUS said. "Now, I never had a lot of confidence, frankly, in Ghani. I said that openly and plainly I thought he was a total crook."
Trump then said that Ghani "spent all his time wining and dining our senators."
He added: "The senators were in his pocket. That was one of the problems that we had. But I never liked him... He got away with murder in many, many different ways."
Trump did not clarify how exactly Ghani "got away with murder" but per the outlet, said he thought it was likely that the Afghan president took off with cash when he fled the country on Sunday, August 15.
Trump cited Ghani's "lifestyle", "his houses" and "where he lives" as reasons for his suspicions that he escaped the region with money.
The ex-US leader's claim may have stemmed from a report by Russia's embassy in Kabul that Ghani and his entourage left with "four cars [which] were full of money," Reuters reports.
As reported by Newsweek, the Taliban has said that the Russian government has offered its "political support" to the militant group after they took power in Afghanistan.
Ghani's whereabouts are currently unknown. He fled Afghanistan when the Taliban began rapidly taking control of the country's capital Kabul. He later said that he left with the intention of avoiding further violence and bloodshed.
"The Taliban have won with the judgment of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honor, property, and self-preservation of their countrymen," he said.
Trump's comments on Ghani come after he released damning statements on Biden's handling of the US troops' withdrawal from the region, and called for his successor to resign.
