On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said he didn’t regret saying he “didn’t see” the chaos in Afghanistan from his “position,” because while “there was chaos,” “this question puts a blanket adjective on the withdrawal, like a bumper sticker,” and “as a veteran, I find the bumper sticker on the entire withdrawal extremely upsetting and disrespectful to all the brave men and women, civilian and military, who got through it.”
Host Phil Mattingly said:[Y]”You came under intense criticism last year for comments you made after the administration’s review was published and I want to give you the opportunity to respond to that, but first, here’s the situation at the time.”
Kirby then played a video in which he said, “Am I proud that we got over 124,000 people out of Afghanistan safely? Of course. Am I proud that American forces were able to take control of an abandoned airport and make it operational within 48 hours? Of course. Am I proud that our former allies and partners, approximately 100,000 Afghans, are now living in this country and working toward citizenship? Of course. But does that mean that all evacuations went perfectly? Of course not. … There’s a lot of talk about chaos, but that’s not what I see from my vantage point.”
Mattingly then asked, “That last sentence has drawn criticism from Republicans in Congress as well as others involved in this. Rather than asking about the passionate assertion you made before that last sentence, is there anything you wish you had worded a little differently in that last sentence?”
Kirby responded: “I think that statement was taken a little bit out of context, and I’ll be the first to admit that I can provide a more contextual answer when I answer a question. I don’t regret what I said. I’ve said it many times, and I was at the Pentagon briefings twice a day during the withdrawal, and I was very honest and forthright about what went wrong in the withdrawal. Of course there was chaos, there was bloodshed, there was violence at various times during the withdrawal. I’ve said that on record and I’ve said that many times during the withdrawal and since. What I was trying to say is that this question was asked of me, and this audio is missing that, but this question is just a blanket adjective that’s been plastered on the withdrawal like a bumper sticker, and I hear it all the time. And I was sitting in the Pentagon and I was watching how hard the military and the State Department civilians and the intelligence community were fighting, and I was very honest and forthright about what went wrong in the withdrawal. [were working] “They created order out of chaos, Phil, to get the airport up and running and to evacuate over 120 people. They created the opposite of chaos in that situation to get people out.”
He continued, “Of course, outside the scene, there was a lot of confusion and chaos and violence. I recognize that. I’ve said that many times in interviews and press conferences, but I make no excuses for refuting the criticism that everything about the withdrawal was incomplete and wrong. It’s disrespectful to the men and women who bravely and courageously tried, and succeeded, to get so many people out. Phil, at one point during the withdrawal, C-17s were taking off every hour with full loads of passengers on board. In fact, at one point during the withdrawal, it was less than every hour. To me, that’s not chaos. So I understand the criticism I’m getting. I think you have to look at the question, not just my answer. Could I have given a more contextual answer? Probably. I freely admit that at times I didn’t fully grasp the situation, but I make no apologies or excuses, and I don’t regret saying that, because I’m deeply upset myself, as a military veteran, that people are just putting bumper stickers on the entire withdrawal. And I think that’s disrespectful to all the brave men and women, civilian and military, who got through the withdrawal.”
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