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On the anniversary of 9/11, White House National Security Council adviser John Kirby accidentally dismissed concerns from veterans critical of the Afghanistan withdrawal in a “reply all” email that included Fox News Digital.
Kirby wrote that responding to the veterans’ views was “no use,” referring to them as a “handful” of vets of “one stripe.” This response was intended for White House staff but mistakenly sent to Fox News, to which Kirby later clarified, “Clearly, I didn’t realize you were on the chain.” The incident occurred while Kirby was traveling with President Biden.
Veterans quoted in the email criticized Kirby for “deflecting” from the Biden administration’s mishandling of the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. Rep. Cory Mills, an Army veteran, told Fox News Digital, “The Biden-Harris administration chose politics over strategy, and Kirby, who I wouldn’t trust to guard my grocery list, is now trying to cover for them.”
This came after House Republicans released a report disputing President Biden’s claim that Trump’s withdrawal agreement bound him. The report also revealed a lack of planning by the State Department to help Americans and allies evacuate while U.S. troops were still present.
Fox reached out to John Kirby, the National Security Communications Advisor, for comment about veterans criticizing him for covering for Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.
He mistakenly hit “reply all.” His response said “Obviously no use in responding. A “handful” of… pic.twitter.com/OXjhiZ1Ayn
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 11, 2024
Republican Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman & Texas Rep. Mike McCaul’s report criticized the administration for failing to address terror threats before the Abbey Gate bombing at Kabul airport, which killed 13 U.S. service members and over 150 Afghan civilians. It also stated that the Taliban likely gained access to $7 billion in abandoned U.S. weapons and up to $57 million in U.S. funds intended for the Afghan government. At a press conference on Monday, Kirby defended the Biden-Harris administration’s withdrawal, dismissing the report as offering “little or nothing new.”
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