Psaki Makes Ghoulish Admission About Afghanistan: There Could Be Some Americans Left Behind After Evac
White House press secretary Jen Psaki made an admission Tuesday that appeared to confirm one of the worst fears about President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan:
That Americans will be left behind when the evacuation ends.
According to an official White House transcript, toward the end of the daily news briefing, a reporter asked Psaki what would happen after the U.S. troop withdrawal deadline, if there was a U.S. citizen who was discovered saying that they are stuck and want to get out.
The reporter asked if this discovery would “trigger a diplomatic, military, all-hands-on-deck-type thing to get that person out, whatever the date.”
Psaki’s response was curt to say the least.
“Our commitment continues to be to U.S. citizens: If they want to leave, we will help get them out,” Psaki said.
However, when the reporter followed up and asked if this would be the case regardless of what the date was, Psaki appeared to indicate that there could be some Americans still left behind after the Aug. 31 deadline — less than a week away.
“Again, we expect there could be some, but I don’t — I’m not going to get into it further,” Psaki said.
Townhall shared a clip of the exchange on Twitter.
Jen Psaki expects “there could be some” Americans left in Afghanistan after the evacuation deadline of August 31st. pic.twitter.com/Egq7LyDVk5
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 24, 2021
There are a couple of points that must be made here.
This admission by Psaki appears to be yet another conflicting statement out of the Biden administration. In fact, it was just Monday, during a media briefing with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, that Psaki derided the notion that American citizens were “stranded” in Afghanistan.
According to the White House transcript, a reporter — Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy — asked if the president understood that the bulk of the criticism did not have to do with leaving Afghanistan itself, but in the way it was ordered to happen. Specifically, Doocy said, the criticism is aimed at Biden “by pulling the troops before getting these Americans who are now stranded.”
Psaki didn’t like the term “stranded.”
“First of all, I think it’s irresponsible to say Americans are stranded. They are not. We are committed to bringing Americans, who want to come home, home. We are in touch with them via phone, via text, via e-mail, via any way that we can possibly reach Americans to get them home if they want to return home.”
Doocy then asked if the White House’s official position is that “there are no Americans stranded.”
“I’m just calling you out for saying that we are stranding Americans in Afghanistan, when I — when we have been very clear that we are not leaving Americans who want to return home. We are going to bring them home. And I think that’s important for the American public to hear and understand,” Psaki said.
So, to be clear: On Monday, the Biden administration’s stance was that it is not stranding Americans because it is committed to bringing them home.
Then, on Tuesday, Psaki said that there could be some Americans left in Afghanistan after the deadline, without providing a plan for how the administration intended to remove those who could potentially be stuck there after Aug. 31.
It amounts to a ghoulish admission: That the administration accepts the idea American citizens are going to be stuck in a country ruled by Taliban killers.
When the Biden administration seems to be in a constant state of contradicting its own statements, one is left to wonder: What kind of message does that send to Americans as well as the rest of the world? Moreover, how can anybody trust that the administration means what it says in the moment?
It is equally as important to note that absolutely no American should ever be left behind in this situation. Not ever.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz shared this sentiment on Twitter in response to the video.
Unacceptable. The United States must not leave American citizens behind Taliban lines. https://t.co/VPac1b6a8P
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 24, 2021
We undoubtedly have a duty and an obligation to ensure the safe return of every single American citizen living or working in a hostile foreign nation. Not only that, but many would argue that our country also has a duty to grant protection and a safe escape to foreign nationals who risked their lives in support of our cause.
However, the Biden administration continues to bow to the Taliban as it has stated it will adhere to the Aug. 31 deadline of having all troops removed from the country.
Psaki’s statements Tuesday would indicate that the administration planned for the reality that some Americans would still be in Afghanistan after the deadline, but seemingly still has no plan for effectively removing any Americans stuck there after that deadline.
The Biden administration has blamed everyone else for the travesty in Afghanistan, but it is high time that the buck stops at the president.
At this point, the sobering reality would indicate that some Americans may be left to live under terrorist control if they cannot find a way out of the country by next Tuesday.
The blame for that reality rests squarely on Biden and his administration.
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