Tipsheet

Did John Kirby Offer the Absolutely Worst Answer on Afghanistan?

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  September 09, 2024 10:15 PM

The Biden-Harris administration has been offering some particularly bad takes on the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. During Monday's press briefing, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby offered a particularly rotten one.

"Was anyone ever held accountable by the president directly for what happened with the withdrawal in Afghanistan," one reported asked. "And if not, remind the audience why not."

"We have all held ourselves accountable for the--the progress of the withdrawal across the administration," Kirby offered as part of an answer that would be laughable if not to do with such a serious topic. He also claimed that that the withdrawal "was a true interagency effort to get those 120,000 people out and to--uh--make sure we removed our diplomats and our military personnel safely."

What accountability of sorts that Kirby did offer, was that "not everything went according to plan," but then he denigrated the tragedy of such a withdrawal by adding that "nothing ever does."

He also noted that "we mourn the loss of--of those 13 lives at Abbey Gate every single day here," as he continued to stumble over his words to try to offer that "their sacrifice doesn't--doesn't--uh--is not forgotten," once again claiming "we hold ourselves all accountable for that." 

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Given the lack of firings from the Biden-Harris administration, it doesn't look like there has been "accountability" after all. Had members of the administration actually "held [themselves] accountable," we likely would have seen resignations. 

In contrast, former and potentially future President Donald Trump vowed during remarks in Michigan late last month that he "will ask for the resignations of every single senior official who touched the Afghanistan calamity to be on my desk at noon on Inauguration Day." 

The Republican nominee was giving his remarks on the same day he appeared at Arlington National Cemetery to pay his respects to the 13 U.S. servicemembers who Kirby had mentioned in his remarks. The Gold Star families have lamented how President Joe Biden has never reached out to them. Meanwhile, Trump has met repeatedly with such family members, who also spoke at the RNC in Milwaukee in July. 

Kirby had also claimed minutes before that "there was no deception, lying, or lack of transparency by this administration--either during, or after the [Afghanistan] withdrawal."

The disastrous withdrawal took place three years ago, but these bad takes have really come out in the past few weeks, especially as it's been made into an attack on Trump. 

In addition to Kirby, there's been terrible headlines from mainstream media outlets, especially when it comes to the Associated Press and The Hill. 

Over the weekend, the Harris campaign put out a shameful take blaming Trump for the chaotic withdrawal, despite how it took place during the Biden-Harris administration, and how she has acknowledged she was the last person in the room for the Afghanistan withdrawal. 

Harris also put out a post denigrating Trump's visit at the cemetery days after he went. Neither she nor Biden went that day for such a visit. 

The House Foreign Affairs Committee also last week subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) made clear during a Monday press briefing that he still intends for Blinken to come before his Committee and will hold him contempt if he fails to show up.

The Committee also released a report and held a press conference about the Afghanistan withdrawal on Monday.