State Department Spokesman Ned Price To Step Down

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CNN anchor asks Biden official: 'Why won't the US shoot down' Russian planes?



A Biden administration official wouldn't give a straight answer when asked why the U.S. won't "shoot down" Russian planes that are bombing civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

On Thursday, CNN anchor Jim Sciutto asked State Department spokesman Ned Price to explain why the U.S. won't take military action against Russia, given that the government considers Russian military strikes against civilian targets like hospitals to be war crimes.

The question came up after Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda Thursday, during which Harris called Russia's actions "atrocities of unimaginable proportion."

She also said that Russia "absolutely" should be investigated for war crimes.

Afterwards, Price joined "CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto" to discuss the vice president's comments, and he was asked if Russia had committed "war crimes."

"Lamentably, that's an apt description," Price said, adding that "we’re working with the international community, each group to create new mechanisms to ensure that we are holding Russia and will hold Russia accountable for any potential war crimes.”

Sciutto then asked why the U.S. won't take military action and "shoot down" the Russian planes attacking civilians.

"OK, hold them accountable, but not stop them because they’re continuing here. Why won’t the U.S. shoot down the planes that are bombing hospitals?" Sciutto asked.

"Well, Jim, we are providing our Ukrainian partners with what they need to engage in self-defense. And you have seen the effectiveness of that strategy. The Russian war effort really has been stalled," Price answered, deflecting the question. "President Putin has severely miscalculated if he thought he would roll into Ukraine, not find any resistance. Clearly, he was wrong. We have seen convoys stuck. We’ve seen Russians engaged and stopped really in a morass of their own making."

"And we’ve done that by providing over the course of the past year, as you heard from the vice president, more than $1 billion in defense of security assistance, more than $250 million in security assistance over the past week alone," he continued. "And by working with Congress, we’re grateful for Congress’ cooperation. We’ll be able to provide more than $13 billion to our Ukrainian partners, about half of which will be in the form of security assistance."

Sciutto followed up by asking if President Joe Biden is "in effect giving the Kremlin a veto, veto power over U.S. military options here?"

“Jim, we’ve heard a lot of rhetoric from Moscow. I wouldn’t put stock in Moscow’s rhetoric,” Price said, without giving the obvious response that taking direct military action against Russia, like shooting down planes, would start World War III.

(H/T: Mediaite)

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State Dept. spox says officials are aware of 'congestion' around Kabul airport as desperate Americans try to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan



State Department spokesman Ned Price said Thursday that officials are aware of "congestion" around the Kabul airport as desperate Americans try to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

The State Department's message to Americans stranded behind Taliban lines in Kabul: "We're aware of congestion arou… https://t.co/JbJsujE3fl

— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) 1629398345.0

What did Price say?

Price said in the clip, "We significantly expanded how many American citizens, locally employed staff, [Special Immigrant Visa] applicants, and other vulnerable Afghans who are eligible for departure, and we offered them to consider transit to the airport."

He added, "We're aware of congestion around the airport. We are working closely with the Department of Defense to facilitate safe and orderly access for consular processing on the airport compound."

How did folks react to Price calling the chaos 'congestion'?

As you might expect, a number of observers were dumbfounded by Price's characterization of the dangerous situation around the airport as "congestion":

  • "My chest has congestion," one commenter wrote. "The airport has terrorists with weapons that my tax dollar paid for."
  • "Really?! 'Congestion'? Even the local helicopter traffic guy would follow that up with a suggestion or two of 'alternate ways around' the 'congestion,'" another user observed. "Good Lord — they really should just stop speaking."
  • "These people truly have no shame, no courage, and no integrity," another commenter said.
  • "Congestion? This administration is a damn joke," another user declared.
  • "This is not Spirit Airlines you a**hole," another commenter said.
  • "Wow," another user exclaimed. "They need to start resigning so we can get competent people in place to try and minimize the damage at this point."
  • "What a tool this guy is," another commenter said.

Anything else?

Price also said the State Department was sending consular officers to Kabul and other locations, including Qatar and Kuwait, to help with the evacuation effort from Afghanistan, Reuters reported.

The outlet added that thousands have attempted to get past Taliban roadblocks and U.S. troops to reach the airport — and that the Taliban on Thursday urged Afghans waiting outside the airport to go home.

Price reportedly used the word "congestion" a second time, as CNN quoted him saying:

"Our imperative is to relocate as many people as quickly as we can. And we've seen the reports of congestion. My understanding is that things are moving quite efficiently at this hour at the airport, at the airport now, but every report we see of someone unable to reach the airport is of concern," he said.

He also noted that "when it comes to American citizens, we have a relatively large cadre of consular officers on the ground in Kabul right now. They are in regular and constant contact with American citizens. I can tell you that they have received as of a couple hours ago a small handful of reports from American citizens who weren't able to reach the airport for whatever reason," CNN said.