REPORT: KJP Keeps Blocking John Kirby From Podium After She ‘Fumed’ About Being Upstaged
'Critical jobs working together'
John Kirby mistakenly exposes the White House's disdain for veterans' concerns over botched Afghanistan withdrawal
American military veterans continue to seek accountability and answers regarding the Biden-Harris administration's disastrous and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan.
While some veterans may have previously suspected the Democratic administration was doing its best to ignore their concerns, John Kirby, the White House National Security Council communications adviser, appears to have accidentally confirmed on Wednesday that that's the case.
Kirby reportedly sent a message intended for White House staffers to a Fox News Digital reporter, stating there was "no use in responding" to veterans' concerns about the Afghan withdrawal and its portrayal by the White House.
Background
The House Foreign Affairs Committee released a report Monday titled "Willful Blindness: An Assessment of the Biden-Harris Administration's Withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Chaos that Followed."
Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said in a statement:
Our investigation reveals the Biden-Harris administration had the information and opportunity to take necessary steps to plan for the inevitable collapse of the Afghan government, so we could safely evacuate U.S. personnel, American citizens, green card holders, and our brave Afghan allies. At each step of the way, however, the administration picked optics over security.
According to McCaul, the report makes clear that the Biden-Harris administration's botch job "placed U.S. servicemembers and U.S. State Department personnel in mortal danger" and led to the American and Afghan deaths and injuries at Abbey Gate.
During Monday's White House press briefing, Kirby responded to the report, saying it "comes, of course, two years after their first report, and this one says little or nothing new."
'Absolutely despicable.'
Kirby further characterized the report as "one-sided," then defended the Biden-Harris administration's actions, going so far as to suggest "there was no handover of U.S. equipment to the Taliban."
Kirby also alleged "there was no deception, lying, or lack of transparency by this administration either during or after the withdrawal."
Lack of transparency
The White House's apparent unwillingness to accept responsibility or to at the very least take the report seriously enraged Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills and other veterans.
Mills, for instance, emphasized on X, "It’s time the Biden-Harris administration takes responsibility for abandoning thousands of Americans and allies, for handing over billions in U.S. military weapons and cash to the Taliban, for leaving women and children to suffer under Taliban rule, and for the 13 brave heroes who sacrificed two lives, the one they were living and the life they could have lived."
Fox News Digital indicated that it contacted the White House, referencing several veterans' critiques of Kirby's remarks — including the suggestions that he was merely providing "cover" for or "deflecting" from the administration's ruinous withdrawal.
The email chain was reportedly forwarded to White House staffers on the National Security Council. Then, thinking he was only responding to White House staffers on the chain, Kirby replied, "Obviously no use in responding. A 'handful' of vets indeed and all of one stripe."
Having later realized what he had done, Kirby wrote back to the reporter, stating, "Clearly, I didn't realize you were on the chain."
Republican backlash
"This is how the Biden-Harris administration talks about the well-founded concerns of our nation’s veterans?" Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) asked on X. "Just days after the anniversary of the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal. On the anniversary of 9/11. Our Gold Star families deserve better."
Senior Trump adviser Jason Miller wrote, "Shame!"
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) stressed, "Nobody at the White House should ever speak this way about our veterans seeking accountability for the Gold Star families the Biden-Harris Administration created with their reckless decisions. Absolutely despicable."
Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson (R) suggested Kirby "is a DISGRACE!!" and should immediately resign.
California Rep. Darrell Issa (R) wrote, "This White House has nothing but contempt for veterans who call them out."
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman McCaul said in a statement obtained by the New York Post that Kirby's comments were "appalling, but sadly not surprising."
"The Biden-Harris administration has consistently disregarded our veterans, servicemembers, and Gold Star families over their botched withdrawal from Afghanistan," added McCaul.
The Post indicated that the White House had not responded to its request for comment.
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Kirby’s Reply-All Rebuff Of Veterans Confirms The Biden Administration’s Disdain For Our Military
Biden, Harris, and Kirby, not Trump, are the ones who repeatedly show contempt for men and women who have risked their lives for the country.John Kirby Says Israel Can’t Eliminate An Ideology With Force. History Disagrees
No, Israel can't bore into the souls of Gazans and transform them into right-thinking people. It can render Hamas' ideology largely useless.Peter Doocy corners Kirby with two questions after Iran ignores Biden's warning not to attack Israel: 'They did it anyway'
Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked all the right questions on Monday after Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel.
Last Friday, Biden said he expected Iran to launch an attack on Israel and issued a one-word warning, "Don't." But the doctrine of don't failed. The next day, Iran launched hundreds of projectiles at Israel — drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles. Fortunately, the U.S. and its Middle Eastern allies intercepted nearly all of the projectiles, leading to minimal damage, no deaths, and few injuries.
At the White House press briefing, Doocy interrogated Kirby on Biden's next steps, pointing out the doctrine of don't was a failure.
"Has President Biden considered maybe beefing up the public Iran posture to be more than just one word?" Doocy asked. "Because he said 'don't' and they did it anyway. So now what?"
Kirby, however, refused to provide a direct answer, instead focusing on the level of success of the attack.
"Yes, they fired an unprecedented amount of munitions, but how much of a success did they have, Peter? None. Zero," Kirby said. "It was an embarrassing failure for the Supreme Leader, for the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]."
— (@)
Emphasizing the attack's lack of success ignores the larger issue: The U.S. is supposed to be a force of strength in the world, but Iran clearly does not fear President Biden.
Naturally, Doocy then asked Kirby about the Biden administration's decision to unfreeze billions of dollars in Iranian funds last year.
"Now we know the Iranians do not listen to President Biden's public warnings. Is there any regret here about unfreezing of dollars for Iranian leaders?" Doocy followed up. "You're going to say it's for humanitarian purposes, but doesn't that free up money for them to spend on other stuff? Where do you get the money for an unprecedented number of munitions to fire at Israel?"
It turns out that Doocy is good at predicting answers.
Instead of providing a substantive answer to the question, Kirby said the money can "only be used for humanitarian purposes" and claimed the U.S. is watching it closely.
Perhaps that is true. But Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi admitted last year his government will use the $6 billion however it wants.
"This money belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and naturally, we will decide, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will decide to spend it wherever we need it," he said.
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Peter Doocy sends Kirby into tailspin with all the right questions after Biden's Israel ultimatum: 'They cannot be true!'
Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy is holding the Biden administration's feet to the fire.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden threatened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with policy changes if Israel does not implement "specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers," according to a readout of Biden's call with Netanyahu. Biden, moreover, emphasized the need for an "immediate ceasefire" and told Netanyahu "to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home."
The readout is surely meant to signal to Biden's left flank that he is dealing with Netanyahu more shrewdly. Progressives, after all, are angry with Biden's position on Israel, and Democratic strategists fear it could cost him re-election.
On the other hand, the Biden administration is still sending munitions to Israel to support their war with Hamas — though the administration is not bringing public attention to those decisions.
So what gives? Is Biden playing both sides? That is the answer Doocy sought to extract from Kirby.
"On Oct. 7, President Biden said, 'My administration's support for Israel is rock solid and unwavering.' That is not true anymore, correct?" Doocy confronted.
"No, it is true," Kirby claimed.
"How is his support unwavering, but you're also reconsidering policy choices?" the Fox News reporter followed up, referring to readout.
"Both can be true," Kirby alleged.
"They cannot be true! They're completely different things," Doocy fact checked. "He is wavering. How is he not wavering?"
— (@)
Kirby, however, was not happy with Doocy's reality check. Kirby claimed Biden can remain "ironclad" in his support of Israel while at the same time demanding that "the manner in which they're defending themselves against the Hamas threat needs to change."
"Will there perhaps be some policy changes we might have to make if we don't see policy changes out of Israel? Yes," Kirby admitted.
"How is it unwavering? It sounds like you guys are trying to have it both ways here," Doocy pointed out before summarizing what Kirby had said: "'We support Israel, but we are going to make all these changes because we don't support Israel.'"
Kirby went on to deny that Biden is changing his policy toward Israel — despite saying just seconds earlier that "both can be true," referring to supporting Israel and advocating for policy changes — before justifying the policy changes.
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CBS News reporter confronts Kirby with the perfect question after US allows UN resolution calling for Gaza ceasefire to pass
CBS News correspondent Ed O'Keefe ruffled John Kirby's feathers on Monday.
The United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution on Monday calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The U.S. abstained from voting on the resolution, thereby allowing it to be adopted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was understandably upset and canceled an Israeli delegation's scheduled trip to Washington, D.C.
At the White House press briefing, Kirby justified allowing the resolution to pass by claiming it links a ceasefire to the release of hostages.
But O'Keefe wasn't buying the justification and confronted Kirby over whether the U.S. is taking this new position because President Joe Biden is facing chaotic political headwinds for backing Israel.
"There are U.S. officials today saying Netanyahu is acting this way because he's facing some domestic political pressure. Aren’t there also domestic political pressures facing President Biden, and that’s part of the reason why you all are allowing this to happen today? O'Keefe began. "You’ve got members of the Democratic Party saying he’s doing this wrong. You’ve got the general public suggesting his support for Israel is misplaced.
"Is that part of why this is going through today?" O'Keefe asked.
The question clearly got under Kirby's skin.
"No, absolutely not," Kirby claimed, "and I've got to take issue with the premise of the question.
"The president makes decisions based on the national security interests of the United States, and this decision to abstain on this resolution is in keeping with the national security interests of the United States," he alleged. "And, quite frankly, it's in keeping with the national security concerns of the Israeli people."
Kirby, however, did not explain how the resolution benefits Israel.
Great questions from CBS’s @EdOKeefe.
O’Keefe: “There are U.S. officials today saying Netanyahu's acting this way because he's facing some domestic political pressure — there's domestic political issues going on. Aren't there also domestic political pressures facing President… pic.twitter.com/YCrercbsQG
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 25, 2024
This is the second time in two weeks that the Biden administration has been forced to address concerns that Biden is waffling on Israel because Democrats are upset that he supports Israel.
Last week, NBC News reported that Biden was outraged when he was told in January that his poll numbers are dipping because of his pro-Israel policies. The White House refused to provide substantive answers to questions about the report, instead calling such inquiries, "the 'When did you stop beating your spouse' question."
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