According to a bombshell report from The Wall Street Journal Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul had sent an urgent cable to the Biden administration in July warning that the chaos we’re now seeing would occur. It’s a shocking revelation that proved the administration was aware of the dangers of their reckless actions but proceeded away. But neither the CBS Evening News nor NBC Nightly News thought this was relevant information to tell their viewers.
Instead of reporting on this new piece of the puzzle, CBS covered a train derailment where no one was hurt but cooking oil was spilled. Over on NBC, they were busy touting how a professional hockey player came out as gay. Although, each network did spend a considerable amount of time covering the events in Afghanistan and were tough on the administration. So, why not mention the new revelation?
“The classified cable represents the clearest evidence yet that the administration had been warned by its own officials on the ground that the Taliban’s advance was imminent and Afghanistan’s military may be unable to stop it,” wrote Vivian Salama for The Journal.
Adding: “The cable, dated July 13, also called for the State Department to use tougher language in describing the atrocities being committed by the Taliban, one of the people said.”
In contrast, ABC’s World News Tonight didn’t shy away from the report. In fact, they were able to confirm it themselves. “And reports that a cable was sent on July 13. A source telling ABC News it called for the Biden administration to begin an airlift operation immediately for Afghans who helped the U.S.” announced anchor David Muir during his opening roundup of the day’s stories.
Chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz built off of Muir a little bit more. “A source telling us tonight that U.S. diplomats at the embassy in Kabul warned Secretary of State Tony Blinken in mid-July that the Afghan government was in danger of collapse, and urged the Biden administration to begin airlift operations immediately for those Afghans at risk,” she said.
She also noted that, “The State Department would not say how the secretary responded to the classified cable, but they said he did read it and respond.”
And for how Secretary Blinken responded to the warning, we look to CNN’s Kylie Atwood, who reported that the State Department dismissed it as “alarmist.” “The diplomats decided to send the dissent memo because they felt previous warnings and recommendations they had made were being ignored and labeled alarmist, two State Department officials told CNN,” she wrote.
Interestingly, ABC also seemed to hint at the growing concern about Biden’s possible mental deterioration by pointing out how he’s forgotten an unsettling amount of details surrounding this incident during an interview with chief anchor George Stephanopoulos:
MUIR: Well, Martha, you heard the president saying there not that he could recall, military advisers suggesting keeping a small footprint. But what are your sources inside the military telling you tonight?
RADDATZ: Well, David, the president may not remember or recall, but we have been reporting for months now that senior military leaders did advise the president to leave a residual force in Afghanistan, but the president decided against it and he is, after all, the commander in chief. But all of this is going to be looked at, David.
We can only hope that CBS and NBC were chasing their own leads on the story and would cover it during their Friday morning newscasts.
This inexcusable omission of damaging evidence against the Biden administration was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Progressive on CBS and Neutrogena on NBC. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
August 19, 2021
6:33:29 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: The other major headline developing, word tonight that U.S. diplomats at the U.S. embassy in Kabul reportedly warned the Biden administration, the secretary of state, that the Afghan government was at risk of collapse as the Taliban was sweeping across the country in recent weeks. And reports that a cable was sent on July 13. A source telling ABC News it called for the Biden administration to begin an airlift operation immediately for Afghans who helped the U.S.
(…)
6:39:34 p.m. Eastern
MUIR: And as I mentioned off the top this evening, there is also that developing headline about an urgent warning from American diplomats on the ground right there in Kabul weeks ago. As the Taliban was sweeping the country. Reports a cable was sent with their concerns, particularly for the Afghans who helped the U.S. over the 20-year war.
So, let's get right to our chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz, she's live in Washington. And Martha, President Biden has said that he was surprised by how quickly the Afghan government collapsed. But tonight, you're learning that some U.S. Diplomats on the ground in Kabul were warning of this weeks ago, and that they were asking for help, particularly for the Afghans who helped the U.S.
MARTHA RADDATZ: That's exactly right, David. A source telling us tonight that U.S. diplomats at the embassy in Kabul warned Secretary of State Tony Blinken in mid-July that the Afghan government was in danger of collapse, and urged the Biden administration to begin airlift operations immediately for those Afghans at risk.
The State Department would not say how the secretary responded to the classified cable, but they said he did read it and respond.
MUIR: There are going to be a lot of major questions on this moving forward. In the meantime, there are also questions tonight about whether the president's military advisers had actually urged him to leave a small number of American troops in Afghanistan. George and I were talking about this on the air last night here. And here was the moment that George pressed the president on this.
[Cuts to video]
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Your top military advisers warned against withdrawing on this timeline. They wanted you to keep about 2,500 troops.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: No, they didn't. It was split. That wasn't true. That wasn't true.
STEPHANOPOULOS: They didn't tell you that they wanted troops to stay?
BIDEN: No. Not in terms of whether we were going to get out in a timeframe all troops. They didn't argue against that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So, no one told you -- your military advisers did not tell you, no, we should just keep 2,500 troops, it's been a stable situation for the last several years, we can do that, we can continue to do that?
BIDEN: No, no one said that to me that I can recall.
[Cuts back to live]
MUIR: Well, Martha, you heard the president saying there not that he could recall, military advisers suggesting keeping a small footprint. But what are your sources inside the military telling you tonight?
RADDATZ: Well, David, the president may not remember or recall, but we have been reporting for months now that senior military leaders did advise the president to leave a residual force in Afghanistan, but the president decided against it and he is, after all, the commander in chief. But all of this is going to be looked at, David.
