Secretary of State Antony Blinken provided a bizarre answer Sunday when confronted by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace about President Joe Biden’s level of knowledge about the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.
Wallace began the interview by questioning Blinken over several statements that Biden has made about the Afghanistan crisis that were later contradicted by his own officials or proved wrong.
Among the topics that Biden got “flat wrong,” Wallace asked Blinken about Biden’s assertion of Americans being able to safety travel to the Kabul airport for evacuation, Biden’s claim that Al Qaeda is not inside Afghanistan, and Biden’s claim that U.S. allies are not questioning American “credibility.” The truth is that Americans cannot travel safety to the Kabul airport, Al Qaeda is operating in Afghanistan, and many U.S. allies are questioning the Biden administration in the wake of the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.
“Mr. Secretary, does the president not know what’s going on?” Wallace asked Blinken.
However, instead of addressing Biden’s cognizance, Blinken talked about the “emotional” nature of the crisis.
“This is an incredibly emotional time for many of us, and including allies and partners who have been shoulder-to-shoulder with us in Afghanistan for 20 years at high cost to themselves as well as to us,” Blinken said.
Notably, Blinken did not go on to answer Wallace’s question about Biden’s situational awareness, instead only talking about American allies. So Wallace responded by pressing the question again.
“Sir, respectfully— look, I’m not questioning whether or not the allies have a right to complain. I’m not questioning whether or not Al Qaeda has a presence. The president said Al Qaeda is gone. It’s not gone. The president said he’s not heard any criticism from the allies. There’s been a lot of criticism from the allies,” Wallace said. “Words matter, and the words of the president matter most.”
Again, Blinken did not address the question.
“Chris, all I can tell you is what I’ve heard,” Blinken said. “And again, this is a powerfully emotional time for a lot of allies and partners, as it is for me, as it is for us.”
Blinken’s answer was described as not “entirely reassuring” and one that will “only… make things worse.”
Wallace Confronts Blinken On Biden’s Claims, Asks: “Does The President Not Know What’s Going On?”
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