As Taliban terrorists continue to prevent Americans and Afghan allies from departing Afghanistan on chartered evacuation flights, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki insisted President Biden and his administration are not at fault after leaving Americans behind to fend for themselves in a terrorist playground filled with Taliban, al Qaeda, and ISIS-K fighters.
In repeated lines of questioning from reporters in the briefing, Psaki tried to minimize the unfolding hostage crisis that's now stretched on for days without any substantial action from the administration.
It's only "a handful" of Americans being held up by the Taliban, Psaki explained at one point of those attempting to depart on six planes from an airfield in northern Afghanistan. While she explained that the Biden administration continues to "press" the Taliban to release the planes, she also cited concerns over vetting the passenger manifests of those seeking to depart Afghanistan from Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport.
PSAKI: There's only "a handful of Americans" on charter flights trying to escape Afghanistan.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 8, 2021
DOOCY: "How many Americans is too few to go in?" pic.twitter.com/eoVjnOptE8
Psaki's sudden and convenient concern over vetting evacuees runs opposite the protocol the Biden administration enforced during the airlift from Kabul before Biden decided to abandon Americans and our allies to the Taliban.
As The New York Times reported last week, "Rogue flights landed without manifests" and "Security vetting of refugees was done in hours or days, rather than months or years."
The result was hundreds of evacuees without papers and without clear pathways to gaining special immigrant visas, a reality that apparently didn't give the White House pause.
When pressed on the complete lack of American military or diplomatic presence on the ground in Afghanistan as a result of President Biden's orders for all troops and diplomats to leave, Psaki said "I don't think this is about fault here."
Asked who is to blame for the hostage situation created by Biden’s bungling of the Afghan withdrawal, Psaki says, “I don’t think this is about fault here.”
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) September 8, 2021
Translation: No one will be held accountable. pic.twitter.com/Lih4TZwmWh
Psaki's condescension and convenient claim that this is not "about fault" is because she — and everyone — knows that this situation was entirely the fault of President Biden and his strategy, or lack thereof, to exit Afghanistan in an "orderly" manner as was promised.
Psaki also left the door open to eventual U.S. recognition of a Taliban government in Afghanistan, the current iteration of which includes more terrorists on the FBI's most-wanted list than it does women.
DOOCY: "There are now more terrorists wanted by the FBI in the new Afghan government than there are women. Does the President think that is a foreign policy success?" pic.twitter.com/2i4QArTQqD
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 8, 2021
Apparently, Psaki still thinks warning barbaric terrorists that "the world is watching" will somehow cause them to recognize basic human rights despite a legacy of evil brutality that has defied progress.