{"id":772466,"date":"2021-09-17T03:23:01","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T07:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=772466"},"modified":"2021-09-17T03:23:03","modified_gmt":"2021-09-17T07:23:03","slug":"watch-psaki-grilled-over-whether-biden-ignored-advice-on-afghanistan-if-he-lied-to-americans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-psaki-grilled-over-whether-biden-ignored-advice-on-afghanistan-if-he-lied-to-americans\/","title":{"rendered":"WATCH: Psaki Grilled Over Whether Biden Ignored Advice On Afghanistan, If He Lied To Americans"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwatch-psaki-grilled-over-whether-biden-ignored-advice-on-afghanistan-if-he-lied-to-americans%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=772466&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Psaki-1-scaled-1.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was grilled during Thursday\u2019s press briefing over whether or not President Joe Biden ignored the advice of some of his top cabinet officials and whether he lied to the American public about the advice that he was receiving.<\/p>\n<p>A reporter asked Psaki about a new book from Bob Woodward which apparently claims that the president allegedly did not take the advice of Secretaries Austin and Blinken.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, I think that people should take \u2014 one, let me first say: I\u2019m not going to confirm or substantiate anonymous unconfirmed reports in a book,\u201d Psaki responded. \u201cBut I think you\u2019re asking an important question, which is: How does the president take a range of advice from different people?&nbsp; And sometimes it\u2019s conflicting with each other as well, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later during the press conference, a journalist asked about a report that said General Miller, who was in charge of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, had recommended that Biden leave 2,500 troops on the ground.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe President told ABC back in August that none of his advisors recommended leaving 2,500 troops in Afghanistan,\u201d the reporter said. \u201cGeneral Miller told the Senate Armed Services Committee that that was exactly what he recommended.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas the president\u2019s answer in that interview an honest answer?\u201d the reporter asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst of all, I\u2019m not going to get into details of private advice that the president gets from his national security team or military advisors,\u201d Psaki responded. \u201cWhat is clear is that the president asked for \u2014 welcomed \u2014 candid, non-sugarcoated advice on Afghanistan and what we should do, given what we walked into, which was a deal struck with the Taliban with a May 1st timeline, including the release of 5,000 Taliban fighters, where we would need to get our U.S. forces out, otherwise we would face conflict. That\u2019s what he was facing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When further pressed on if Biden heard that a full scale withdrawal would be \u201cdevastating and should not happen,\u201d Psaki said that he was provided a \u201crange of advice\u201d and that she would not \u201cget into more details than that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>WATCH:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"9.3703703703704\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">PSAKI on Woodward\/Costa revelations about advice Biden received on Afghanistan withdrawal: <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was not &#8216;the status quo&#8217; or &#8216;withdraw&#8217;. It was &#8216;withdraw&#8217; or &#8216;increase troops&#8217;. And that&#8217;s how [Biden] saw the decision.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Cj3i1LuJvx\">pic.twitter.com\/Cj3i1LuJvx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Zach Purser Brown (@zachjourno) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/zachjourno\/status\/1438589795115143168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 16, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"8.9462025316456\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JacquiHeinrich?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JacquiHeinrich<\/a>: &#8220;Did the President adhere to the recommendation from the commander on the ground be Afghanistan that he feared that a full withdrawal would be devastating and should not happen?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Psaki: &#8220;He was provided a range of advice.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dFxwGJUPlR\">pic.twitter.com\/dFxwGJUPlR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CurtisHouck\/status\/1438589724898308101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 16, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>TRANSCRIPT PROVIDED VIA THE <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/press-briefings\/2021\/09\/16\/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-september-16-2021\/\">WHITE HOUSE<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"127\">\n<p><em>REPORTER: I\u2019d like to ask you a little bit more about the \u2014 some of what\u2019s detailed in the upcoming book of Woodward and Costa, specifically in the area of the president taking or not taking the advice of Secretaries Austin and Blinken.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>We\u2019ve seen the president defend his decision to exit Afghanistan in the way that he did. But as the public [may] see this and read this and say, \u201ctop, close officials suggested a slower path out.\u201d The public watched what happened with some of the chaotic things. What should we take from that in terms of how the president processes the information his advisors are giving? And does he have any second thoughts about not taking the gated, slower approach that\u2019s described?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>PSAKI: Well, I think what people should take \u2014 one, let me first say: I\u2019m not going to confirm or substantiate anonymous unconfirmed reports in a book.&nbsp;<\/em><em>But I think you\u2019re asking an important question, which is: How does the president take a range of advice from different people? And sometimes it\u2019s conflicting with each other as well, of course.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>First, what we\u2019ve said from the beginning, as it relates to Afghanistan, is the president asked his team to present to him clear-eyed assessment, candid advice on the path forward. Everyone knew, coming into the beginning of the administration \u2014 he knew, the vice president knew, the national security team knew \u2014 that we were in a situation facing a May 1st timeline of either getting our troops out or facing conflict with the Taliban. That\u2019s what we walked into and the circumstances we were discussing.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>What we also know now is that, given it took 6,000 troops to protect the airport, this was not a scenario where it was either maintain the status quo \u2014 the president never felt that was a real, viable option. And now, we looked at \u2014 6,000 troops were needed to protect the airport. That wouldn\u2019t have been a viable option. It was not the status quo or withdraw; it was withdraw or increase troops. And that\u2019s how he saw the decision.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>REPORTER: One of the things that Secretary Blinken talked about was the concern about European partners. Jonathan was asking about questions related to European partners \u2014<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>PSAKI: Yep.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>REPORTER: \u2014 being upset now. Is there a tension point between a president who talked about being a steady hand and normal relationships when the French are mad today; they were \u2014 other NATO partners and others were unhappy about the exit? Is there an issue there, where the president is going it without consideration of those partners?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>PSAKI: I don\u2019t think the president sees it as \u201cwithout consideration.\u201d There was extensive consultation.&nbsp; There was extensive briefings \u2014 both at the secretary of state\u2019s level, at the secretary of defense\u2019s level \u2014 in advance of the president\u2019s announcement in May about his decision to withdraw our military presence in Afghanistan. It doesn\u2019t mean that all of our allies and partners are going to always agree with everything we do, nor do we always agree with everything they do.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>But sustainable and good diplomatic relationships mean you work where you can agree and you sustain strong partnerships to address global issues in the world regardless.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>I think what the president\u2019s view is here is that \u2014 one, his decision to withdraw our troop presence in Afghanistan was, as he has talked about extensively, in large part because he felt it was a 20-year war that had gone on for too long, that did not have a military outcome that would be successful, and that it was in our national interest to do so.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Also, our resources as a country, as a national security team, are not unlimited. And he wants to have the capacity and the ability to have partnerships \u2014 like the one we announced last night that is an important partnership moving forward for security in the Indo-Pacific \u2014 to address big issues, whether it\u2019s technology or cyber or even climate. And that\u2019s what he feels the United States should be focused on.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>REPORTER: Thank you. And then I wanted to get to the hearing on the Hill with General Miller. The president told ABC back in August that none of his advisors recommended leaving 2,500 troops in Afghanistan. General Miller told the Senate Armed Services Committee that that was exactly what he recommended. Was the president\u2019s answer in that interview an honest answer?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>PSAKI: First of all, I\u2019m not going to get into details of private advice that the president gets from his national security team or military advisors.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>What is clear is that the president asked for \u2014 welcomed \u2014 candid, non-sugarcoated advice on Afghanistan and what we should do, given what we walked into, which was a deal struck with the Taliban with a May 1st timeline, including the release of 5,000 Taliban fighters, where we would need to get our U.S. forces out, otherwise we would face conflict. That\u2019s what he was facing.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>In terms of the mechanisms of who provided what advice through what forum, I\u2019m just not going to get into that level of detail from here.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>REPORTER: But did the president hear, specifically, the recommendation from the commander on the ground in Afghanistan that he feared that a full withdrawal would be devastating and should not happen?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>PSAKI: He was provided a range of advice. I\u2019m not going to get into more details than that. But what\u2019s important to note, at this point, is it\u2019s crystal clear that 2,500 troops would not have been sustainable on the ground; it would have been either increase troops on the ground or withdraw troops on the ground.&nbsp; And the president has been clear many times, he was not going to send thousands and thousands more troops to fight a war the Afghans did not want to fight themselves.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><em>member<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was grilled during Thursday\u2019s press briefing over whether or not President Joe Biden ignored the advice of some of his top cabinet officials and &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-772466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=772466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=772466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=772466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=772466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}