Speaking on CNN News Central on Wednesday, former Secretary of Defense and former CIA Director Leon Panetta, who is an endorser of 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, said that while Harris was in the room when the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was made, she was there “to listen” and “does not bear the same responsibility that the president has for the final decision.”
Co-host Briana Keilar asked, “Ms. Harris is doing this interview on the eve of the three-year anniversary of the complete U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. You spoke at the Democratic National Convention last week and made a strong case for Harris to be commander in chief. Do you think she will continue President Biden's legacy of withdrawing from Afghanistan?”
Panetta responded, “Well, that's a presidential decision. My experience as chief of staff is that it's the president who makes those decisions. And there's no question that Joe Biden has won.” [out] “The decision was made because we felt deeply about withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. The fact that the vice president was in the room, and other members of the National Security Council were certainly there to listen, but at the same time, they don't have the same responsibility for the final decision that the president has.”
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