After dodging journalists and ping-ponging from the White House to vacation, back to the White House, Joe Biden on Friday finally faced the music and talked to pent-up journalists about his Afghanistan disaster. Although the President called on just five reporters, they hammered him for badly botching the situation.
It was Stephanie Ramos of ABC who put the most human face on the growing crisis, reminding the Democrat of those abandoned to the Taliban:
Last month, my colleague Martha Raddatz interviewed Abdul, an interpreter on the front lines with U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. Overnight we received a photo of Taliban militants coming to the door of his home, literally hunting him down. Thankfully he was able to escape but he is obviously still in mortal danger. What would be your message to Abdul, his wife and his three young daughters?
After the press conference, reporter Martha Raddatz highlighted the plight of Abdul and the message he wants sent to Americans: [Click “expand” to read more.]
I first want to say that Abdul wanted to be interviewed in June and the reason he wanted to be interviewed is so people would know the danger to these interpreters. They’d already announced that U.S. forces were leaving. He desperately wanted to draw attention to that issue. At the time, the Taliban had not taken over Kabul of course. But he knew if they did, he was in grave danger as well as the others. We have been in contact with him constantly. We are doing everything we possibly can and reaching out to people in the State Department and Pentagon who are being as helpful as they say they can.
But this is a message we got from him just before President Biden spoke. He said, “My message to America is this, those people worked with Americans shoulder to shoulder and had done their job with honesty and pride finally the America left us behind and left us to those people who are not human and they cut our heads off in front of our family. Is this a punishment? Madam, you could air my name as well.” We will not do that. But I told them we were doing, we told them we were doing everything possible to get him out of there. He said, “I know, ma’am, actually I am a soldier, I am not afraid, I’m ready to die. But I care about my family, if the Taliban captures me, with pride, I will tell them I was an interpreter and did it for my country and my people.” And just to add to that, David, he has three beautiful young daughters and a wife who is also been very helpful to the Americans.
Justin Sink of Bloomberg essentially demanded to know how Americans could ever trust Biden again in the wake of the Afghanistan disaster:
You just said you would keep a laser focus on counter terrorism efforts and you don't see as great of a threat of terrorism from Afghanistan as other parts of the world. But if you and your administration so badly mis-assessed how quickly the Taliban would sweep through Afghanistan, and we no longer have an embassy from which to run intelligence operations, how can you at all be confident of your assessment of the risk of terrorism and ability of U.S. to conduct over the horizon missions to keep it in check? Can you tell Americans they are safe and remain safe from terror attacks in Afghanistan?
Scott Detrow of NPR dismissed the idea that Americans who want to get to the airport can do so:
I just want to follow up on something you said a moment ago. "There is no circumstances where American citizens cannot get to the airport." That doesn't really square with the images we're seeing around the airport with a reporting on ground from our colleagues who are describing chaos and violence. Are you saying unequivocally that any American is getting there and getting past the security barrier and to the planes?
The reporters called upon were Zeke Miller of AP, Justin Sink of Bloomerg, Stephanie Ramos of ABC, Meredith Lee of PBS and Scott Detrow of NPR. Transcripts of their questions can be found below. Click "expand" to read more.
Joe Biden White House Press Conference
8/202/2021
2:00 PMZEKE MILLER (AP) : You promised to leave Afghanistan. You also promised to help bring out those who helped America in its war effort. We have seen the heart wrenching images at the Kabul airport of people, to say nothing of the people who that can't get to the airport. You made the commitment to get troops out, to get American citizens out. Will you make the same commitment to those who assisted in the American war effort over the last 20 years? Number one. And number two what is your message to America's partners around the world who have criticized not the withdrawal but the conduct of that withdrawal and made them question America's credibility on the world stage?
...
MILLER: Would You make the same commitment to bring out Afghans assisted in the war effort?
...
2:05 PM
JUSTIN SINK (Bloomberg): You just said you would keep a laser focus on counter terrorism efforts and you don't see as great of a threat from terrorism from Afghanistan as other parts of the world. But if you and your administration so badly mis-assessed how quickly the Taliban would sweep through Afghanistan and we no longer have an embassy from which to run intelligence operations, how can you at all be confident of your assessment of the risk of terrorism and ability of U.S. to conduct over the horizon missions to keep it in check? Can you tell Americans they are safe and remain safe from terror attacks in Afghanistan?
...
SINK: Sir, on that initial assessment, we learned over the last 24 hours there was a dissent cable from the State Department.
JOE BIDEN: Sure.
SINK: Saying that the Taliban would come faster through Afghanistan. Can you stay why after that cable was issued the U.S. Didn't do more to get Americans out?
BIDEN: We get all kinds of cables.
...
2:07 PM ET
STEPHANIE RAMOS (ABC): Thank you, Mr. President. Two questions for you. The military has secured the airport as you mentioned, but will you sign off sending troops into Kabul to evacuate Americans that haven't been able to get to the airport safely?
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2:08 PM ET
RAMOS: One more Mr. President. Last month my colleague Martha Raddatz interviewed Abdul, an interpreter on the front lines with U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. Overnight we received a photo of Taliban militants coming to the door of his home, literally hunting him down. Thankfully he was able to escape but he is obviously still in mortal danger. What would be your message to Abdul, his wife and his three young daughters?
2:10
MEREDITH LEE (PBS): You mentioned just now using every resource available for evacuations. Why haven't you ordered the military to expand the security perimeter around the Kabul airport? Do you have any plans to do so, given that will require more U.S. troops and are you considering rescue operations to rescue Americans stuck behind Taliban checkpoints?
...
SCOTT DETROW (NPR): Thank you Mr. President. I just want to follow up on something you said a moment ago. "There is no circumstances where American citizens cannot get to the airport." That doesn't really square with the images we're seeing around the airport with a reporting on ground from our colleagues who are describing chaos and violence. Are you saying unequivocally that any American is getting there and getting past the security barrier and to the planes?
...
DETROW: But given this, given the negotiations with the Taliban and the scenes we're seeing, you could fully you explain why the plan wasn't to go ahead with the evacuations of both Americans and allies before the draw down began and before Bagram was closed looking back several months? Because whether it was now or several months from now there seems to be a broad consensus that the Taliban would make these gains and these would we needed at some point.
