Jen Psaki and John Kirby are being called to testify in House Republicans’ Afghanistan withdrawal investigation
Republicans want to force three current and former officials of President Joe Biden — Jen Pskai, John Kirby and Ned Price — to testify about the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said on Sunday that subpoenas have already been sent as they seek witness testimony in the investigation into Biden’s botched removal of all US troops from Kabul in August 2021.
Among those McCaul calls are Biden’s former press secretary Jen Pskai, who is now a television host for MSNBC; current National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby, who was Pentagon press secretary at the time of the withdrawal; and former Defense Department spokesman Ned Price.
When Jake Tapper, host of CNN’s State of the Union, asked Sunday whether he would be willing to issue subpoenas, McCaul replied, “Well, we have.”
“And I threatened to disrespect the secretary of state,” the Texas Republican added. “But that was necessary to get a personal phone call to get cooperation.”
Chairman of State Michael McCaul (pictured) has sent subpoenas to current and former Biden officials to testify about the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan
Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, now an MSNBC host, is among those McCaul says the panel would like to hear from in its investigation into the disastrous withdrawal two years ago
All U.S. troops left Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, after Biden pledged to have all troops leave the country before the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The absolutely chaotic withdrawal led to the deaths of thirteen American soldiers.
Republicans largely blame Biden for the disorganized, deadly and overall failure of a withdrawal, with many saying his administration bungled a victory in ending a 20-year war.
“There is no reason why this administration should not give these Gold Star families all the answers. All they want is the truth,” McCaul told CNN on Sunday. ‘They want transparency. And if they don’t, they wonder: why are you hiding things, right? So I feel like I am the advocate on behalf of the Gold Star families.”
He said the families of the fallen soldiers “deserve to have access” to those involved in the withdrawal.
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban captured the Afghan capital Kabul, leading to a rapid dissolution of the Afghan government as ex-president Ashraf Ghani fled the country. The US Embassy was evacuated and retreated to Hamid Karzai International Airport, which fell into chaos with those fleeing the country.
Critics of Biden say the withdrawal was hasty and that nothing was put in place to help the Afghan government with the transition. Therefore, the Taliban were able to quickly take over the government, effectively erasing the progress made during the twenty-year war.
In the final days of the withdrawal, eleven Marines, an Army soldier and a Navy sailor were killed in a suicide bombing outside the Abbey Gate of Kabul airport. The attack also killed around 170 Afghan civilians.
Families of the fallen soldiers have been demanding answers about the withdrawal for years.
“They deserve to know why they weren’t given an airstrike to take out the very person who directed the ISIS-K suicide bombing,” McCaul said of the families. “They need to know why they were released from Bagram Air Force Base.”
He said the subpoenas will go “all the way up the chain of command, both within the state and within the Department of Defense, and ultimately within the White House.”
McCaul also wants to hear from former Pentagon press secretary John Kirby (left), now NSC Director of Strategic Communications, and ex-Department of Defense spokesman Ned Price (right)
McCaul says the Gold Star families of the 13 U.S. service members killed during the withdrawal deserve to know why a strike wasn’t authorized to take out the suicide bomber who ultimately killed their loved ones and about 170 Afghan civilians brought.
“But I would ask that they give these families answers. I mean, in a way, they have more power than I do. It’s easy for them to say no to me. It’s very hard for them to say no to these families,” McCaul added.
His reason for wanting to speak to Psaki is to ask about the messages she sent from the White House at the time of the withdrawal and the discrepancies between them and what was happening on the ground.
“John Kirby made the comment that no weapons were left behind, which is crazy,” he added, because he wanted his panel to speak to the NSC’s Director of Strategic Communications. “There are $7 billion worth of weapons. And I can show you the tapes of the guns and money that were left behind,’
“Ned Price at the State Department is making rosy comments,” McCaul said of the former Defense Department spokesman. “And we have to — we sent letters to get them to testify and they all gave a rosy picture, when what happened on the ground was very different. “I don’t know where this is going to end up, Jake, but as a former federal prosecutor, I’m going to follow all the facts.”
“By the way, I have great respect for General McKenzie and General Milley. “I don’t know if this was all on their level, but I do know that an airstrike was denied that could have taken out the ISIS-K suicide bombing team.”