America's veterans continue to demand accountability and answers about the Biden-Harris administration's disastrous and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan.
While some veterans may have long suspected that the Democratic administration was doing its best to ignore their concerns, John Kirby, public affairs adviser to the White House National Security Council, seemed to accidentally confirm that this was the case on Wednesday.
Kirby
Reportedly In a message sent to White House staff and sent to a Fox News Digital reporter, President Trump said there was “no point in reacting” to veterans' concerns about the Afghanistan withdrawal and the White House's portrayal of it.
background
The House Foreign Affairs Committee said Monday,Willful blindness: Assessing the Biden-Harris administration's Afghanistan withdrawal and its aftermath”
Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas)
said In a statement:
Our investigation reveals that the Biden-Harris Administration had the information and the opportunity to take the steps necessary to prepare for the inevitable collapse of the Afghan government and to safely evacuate Americans, U.S. citizens, green card holders, and our brave Afghan allies. Yet at every step of the process, the Administration prioritized appearances over safety.
McCaul said the report makes clear that failures by the Biden-Harris administration “put U.S. troops and State Department personnel at deadly risk” and contributed to the American and Afghan deaths at Abbey Gate.
Monday
White House Press ConferenceKirby responded to the report by saying: “Of course it's been two years since the first report and this one says very little new.”
“That's just despicable.”
Kirby further called the report “one-sided” and defended the Biden-Harris administration's actions, even going so far as to suggest that “there was no delivery of US equipment to the Taliban.”
Kirby also claimed there had been “no deception, lies or lack of transparency by this administration either during or after the withdrawal.”
Lack of transparency
The White House's apparent unwillingness to acknowledge responsibility or at least take the report seriously has infuriated Republican Rep. Corey Mills of Florida and other veterans.
For example, Mills
Emphasized “The time has come for the Biden-Harris Administration to take responsibility for abandoning thousands of Americans and our allies; for handing over billions of dollars in U.S. weapons and cash to the Taliban; for allowing women and children to suffer under Taliban rule; and for the 13 brave heroes who sacrificed both the lives they had and the lives they could have lived,” it states.
Fox News Digital said it had contacted the White House, citing criticism from several veterans of Kirby's comments, including that he was simply “covering up” or “deflecting” the administration's disastrous withdrawal.
The email chain was reportedly forwarded to White House officials on the National Security Council. Kirby then responded, believing he was only responding to White House officials listed in the chain, saying, “There's clearly no point in responding. There's certainly a 'handful' of veterans, and they're all on the same page.”
Kirby later realized what he had done and wrote back to the reporter, “Obviously I didn't know you were chained.”
Republican backlash
“Is this how the Biden-Harris Administration speaks to the well-founded concerns of our nation's veterans?” Sen. John Thune (R-Del.)
asked In X. “Just days after the deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan. On the anniversary of 9/11. Our Gold Star families deserve better.”
Jason Miller, Senior Advisor to President Trump
Written“Shame!”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana)
stress“No one from the White House should be saying this about veterans who are demanding accountability for Gold Star families created by the Biden-Harris Administration's reckless decisions. It's utterly despicable.”
Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson (Republican)
Suggested Kirby is a “disgrace!!” and should resign immediately.
California Assemblyman Darrell Issa (Republican)
Written“The White House has nothing but contempt for veterans who criticize them.”
Foreign Relations Committee Chairman McCaul said in a statement:
Obtained The New York Post called Kirby's comments “egregious but sadly unsurprising.”
“The Biden-Harris Administration has consistently ignored our nation's veterans, service members and Gold Star families when it comes to their failed withdrawal from Afghanistan,” McCaul added.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment, the newspaper said.
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