The White House is running out of people to blame for the botched exit out of Afghanistan, and some news networks aren’t letting them off the hook. ABC continued to hold the Biden administration’s feet to the fire on Tuesday's Good Morning America, with George Stephanopoulos confronting National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on the President’s failed promise to make sure all Americans were out of Aghanistan.
Leading into the interview, Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz called out the President for saying no American would be left behind. “Just under two weeks ago, President Biden sitting down with George saying he would not leave any American citizens behind,” she stated before ABC rolled the tape. “But the head of U.S. Central command says that didn't happen,” Raddatz added.
Just a few minutes later, Stephanopoulos reminded advisor Jake Sullivan on Biden’s failed promise as we reached the August 31 deadline. "You know, two weeks ago the president told me that American military would stay until all Americans were out, at least 100 Americans remain. What is the plan to get them out?" he demanded.
The defensive advisor touted how the White House got out most of our citizens before he accused the trapped Americans of not doing their part. Sullivan also tried out this lame excuse on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday:
...We got out between 5500 and 6,000 people, Americans from Afghanistan, we got out 97 or 98% of those on the ground and the small number who remain, we contacted repeatedly over the course of two weeks to come to the airport to come to a rally point. 5,500 or more did that...The small number who remain, we are committed to getting out and we will work through every available diplomatic means with the enormous leverage that we have and that the international community has to make that happen.
But Stephanopoulos hammered Sullivan on that unacceptable response, even quoting from a Republican critic:
That is not satisfying all the president's critics. Senator Tom Cotton, ‘Joe Biden left behind Americans, vetted Afghan allies who risked their lives for our soldiers, a disgraceful lack of leadership from an incompetent president.’ Your response?
Sullivan lashed out at GOP critics who ‘are not the ones who have to sit in the situation room and make the hard calls,” before AGAIN suggesting that there were Americans trapped in Afghanistan under the Taliban who didn’t want to actually leave:
...At the end of the day the question will be, did we protect those American citizens, did they get out if they wanted to get out? We believe we will get out any person we want to get out and will have completed that mission and those who are criticizing are not the ones who have to sit in the situation room and make the hard calls about the threats that we face and the objectives we're trying to obtain and President Biden made that hard call and it is a call he believes will ultimately serve the interests of our people, all of our citizens and our country.
Like Raddatz, Stephanopoulos also pressed the White House on the absurdity of working with and helping the Taliban. He asked point blank, “You say we'll work with the Taliban. Does that include the prospect of giving them aid?”
Sullivan echoed Secretary of State Antony Blinken in suggesting they could trust the Taliban to keep their word:
Secondly, when it comes to our economic and development assistance relationship with the Taliban, that will be about the Taliban's actions. It will be about whether they follow through on their commitments, their commitments to safe passage for Americans and Afghan allies.
Stephanopoulos closed the interview by getting the National Security Advisor to clarify if the U.S. would send aid to Afghans through the Taliban: “So long-term aid is possible but this humanitarian aid is going to flow through the Taliban?”
Sullivan didn’t deny that long-term aid would go to the Taliban from the U.S. government, but he did deny that the U.S. government would be giving humanitarian aid, instead saying that would come from international programs and partners:
It's not going to flow through the Taliban. As you know George, when we send humanitarian assistance to countries, we do so, excuse me, through international institutions like the world health organization or the world food program and we do so through nongovernmental organizations who, George, are still operating on the ground in Afghanistan as we speak. It will not flow through the government.
State Farm sponsors Good Morning America, contact them at the Conservatives Fight Back page here.
Good Morning America
8/31/2021
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Thanks. Let's bring in Jake Sullivan. Jake, thanks for joining us this morning. You know, two weeks ago the president told me that American military would stay until all Americans were out, at least 100 Americans remain. What is the plan to get them out?
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, JAKE SULLIVAN: Well, first as General Mckenzie said yesterday, we continue our mission to get them out. It's just that it has shifted from a military mission to a diplomatic mission and we have considerable leverage over the Taliban to ensure that any remaining American citizen will be able to get out and I would point out to you, George, that on August 14th, when this evacuation mission began, we believed that there were between 5500 and 6,000 Americans in Afghanistan. We got out between 5500 and 6,000 people, Americans from Afghanistan, we got out 97 or 98% of those on the ground and the small number who remain, we contacted repeatedly over the course of two weeks to come to the airport to come to a rally point. 5,500 or more did that. The small number who remain, we are committed to getting out and we will work through every available diplomatic means with the enormous leverage that we have and that the international community has to make that happen.
STEPHANOPOULOS: That is not satisfying all the president's critics. Senator Tom Cotton, ‘Joe Biden left behind Americans, vetted Afghan allies who risked their lives for our soldiers, a disgraceful lack of leadership from an incompetent president.’ Your response?
SULLIVAN: My response is that leadership means taking a look at the situation and asking the hard question, ‘what is going to be in the best interest of the United States of America, those American citizens still in Afghanistan and those Afghan allies?’ and he got a unanimous recommendation from his secretary of state, his secretary of defense, all of his civilian advisers, all of his commanders on the ground and all of the joint chiefs of staff that the best way to protect our forces and the best way to help those Americans was to transition this mission. At the end of the day the question will be, did we protect those American citizens, did they get out if they wanted to get out? We believe we will get out any person we want to get out and will have completed that mission and those who are criticizing are not the ones who have to sit in the situation room and make the hard calls about the threats that we face and the objectives we're trying to obtain and President Biden made that hard call and it is a call he believes will ultimately serve the interests of our people, all of our citizens and our country.
STEPHANOPOULOS? You say we'll work with the Taliban. Does that include the prospect of giving them aid?
SULLIVAN: Well, first of all, we do believe that there is an important dimension of humanitarian assistance that should go directly to the people of Afghanistan. They need help with respect to health and food aid and other forms of subsistence and we do intend to continue that.
Secondly, when it comes to our economic and development assistance relationship with the Taliban, that will be about the Taliban's actions. It will be about whether they follow through on their commitments, their commitments to safe passage for Americans and Afghan allies. Their commitment to not allow Afghanistan to be a base from which terrorists can attack the United States or any other country. Their commitments with respect to upholding international obligations. It's going to be up to them and we will wait and see by their actions how we end up responding in terms of the economic and developmental assistance.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So Long-term aid is possible but this humanitarian aid is going to flow through the Taliban?
SULLIVAN: It's not going to flow through the Taliban. As you know George, when we send humanitarian assistance to countries, we do so, excuse me, through international institutions like the world health organization or the world food program and we do so through nongovernmental organizations who, George, are still operating on the ground in Afghanistan as we speak. It will not flow through the government.
