White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby faced intense criticism on Wednesday after he inadvertently emailed a reporter saying there was “no point in reacting” to veterans' concerns about the Harris-Biden administration's failure to pull out of Afghanistan.
Kirby, 61, apparently intended to send a negative response to White House staff but accidentally hit the “reply all” button on a series of emails that included the Fox News reporter who had made the inquiry.
“Obviously, there's no point in replying. Sure, there are a 'handful' of veterans, but they're all the same kind of people.” Read Kirby's emailAccording to the media.
The media questions related to comments made by four veterans who accused Kirby of “trying to cover up” the Harris-Biden administration's failure to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
“Obviously I didn't know you were in chains,” Kirby later admitted to a reporter.
The response from White House officials was deemed “insensitive” and shameful by many on the right.
“Is this how the Biden-Harris Administration speaks about the well-founded concerns for our nation's veterans?” Sen. John Thune (R-SD) said. I wrote to X“Just days after the Afghanistan withdrawal. The anniversary of 9/11. Our Gold Star families deserve better.”
'It's disgraceful!' Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller TweetedIn another post, he added that Kirby's comments were “stupid” and “insensitive”.
“It's appalling. It's insensitive. It's disgraceful,” said Steve Guest, a former public affairs specialist at the Republican National Committee. I wrote to X.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said he was not surprised but appalled by Kirby's comments.
“Retired Gen. Kirby's comments are egregious, but unfortunately not surprising,” McCaul said in a statement. “The Biden-Harris Administration has consistently ignored our nation's veterans, service members and Gold Star families regarding its failure to withdraw from Afghanistan.”
The White House did not respond to The Washington Post's request for comment.
Earlier this week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee released a scathing 350-page report on the Harris-Biden administration's decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, concluding that President Biden pressed ahead with plans to withdraw from the Middle Eastern country despite opposition from military officials, U.S. allies and the Afghan government.
Kirby on Monday rejected the committee's two-year investigation findings as “one-sided” and “partisan.”
He also blamed former President Donald Trump for the chaotic withdrawal in August 2021, claiming the Republican candidate made a deal with the Taliban and forced U.S. troops “to rush their withdrawal.”
“President Biden faced a stark choice when he took office: stick to the flawed agreement and end the longest war in American history, or abandon the agreement and extend the war, with far fewer U.S. troops returning to fight the Taliban,” Kirby said. “He chose the former, buying himself time until the summer to prepare for a withdrawal that leaves us as a nation safer.”
