Democrats are in damage control mode in the wake of President Joe Biden’s failure in Afghanistan. Circulated by Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) office, the talking points claim that the Biden administration knew it was a “distinct possibility” that “Kabul would fall to the Taliban” eventually. The lawmakers maintain that it was not “an inevitability,” despite intelligence reports that indicate otherwise.
"The Administration knew that there was a distinct possibility that Kabul would fall to the Taliban. It was not an inevitability. It was a possibility,” the talking points memo reads. It claims that the administration planned “for every possibility” with contingency plans in place.
Here are the WH Afghanistan talking points Pelosi's office just sent around. They are not good:
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) August 16, 2021
"The Administration knew that there was a distinct possibility that Kabul would fall to the Taliban. It was not an inevitability. It was a possibility." #facepalm pic.twitter.com/aE8lbCnw1z
The memo was not well received:
Pretty remarkable that Biden's team is blaming *Afghan translators and other partners* and not their own terrible planning for being left behind. #Afghanistan https://t.co/iymymIEPu1
— John Cooper (@thejcoop) August 16, 2021
It would be nice if government leaders took responsiblity for their mistakes, instead of treating them as just another bad news cycle to spin their way out of with lame talking points. Terrible mistakes happen (even with good presidents). Just own up to it. https://t.co/qLAIWI3RHj
— Brian Riedl ?? (@Brian_Riedl) August 16, 2021
Biden called it "highly unlikely" the Taliban would takeover Afghanistan.
— Tommy Pigott (@TommyPigott) August 16, 2021
But now they claim they knew it was a "distinct possibility."
Did Biden not know the intelligence, was he lying then, or are they lying now? https://t.co/rtOQm5ZZKi
White House talking points: "we'll hold the Taliban accountable to not allowing Al Qaeda a safe haven. if they do, there will be consequences we'll pursue."https://t.co/QwTHxsg2pR
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) August 16, 2021
The president is set to finally address the nation on Monday afternoon.