♪.
ELIZABETH: WE’RE STAYING ON
BREAKING NEWS.
THE PRESIDENT JUST SPOKE MOMENTS
AGO.
WE WILL TAKE YOU LIVE TO A
WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
BRIEFING WITH THE UPDATE ON THE
ISIS SUICIDE BOMB ATTACKS IN
KABUL.
MORE THAN FIVE DOZEN KILLED, A
DOZEN U.S. TROOPS KILLED.
CHILDREN KILLED.
150 INJURED.
15 SOLDIERS WOUNDED AS WELL.
REPORTS OF A THIRD BLAST IN
KABUL TONIGHT.
THE PENTAGON WARNING ABOUT THE
THREAT QUOTE, HIGH RIGHT NOW OF
EVEN MORE SUICIDE BOMBERS
INCLUDING CAR BOMBINGS THAT THE
PATTERN IS FOR MULTIPLE ATTACKS.
BRING IN CALIFORNIA CONGRESSMAN
MIKE GARCIA SKI YAW, RETIRED
LIEUTENANT ARM COLONEL JAMES
CARAFANO.
TO YOU, COLONEL.
REACTION POURING IN TO THE
PRESIDENT’S REMARKS.
CRITICS SAYING HE IS TOTALLY OUT
OF TOUCH.
THE PRESIDENT SAID MOMENTS AGO,
AVOIDED ACCOUNTABILITY AND
BLAMED TRUMP FOR THE EVACUATION
AND EVACUATION CRISIS IN
AFGHANISTAN WHEN HE NOT
HANDCUFFED TO TRUMP’S DEAL.
UK AND NATO ARE SAYING THAT.
HE IS IS SAYING NOT A MISTAKE TO
HAVE THE TALIBAN TO HAVE CONTROL
OF THE AIRPORT.
HE SAYING AMERICANS MAY BE LEFT
BEHIND.
HE USED A SCRIPTED, TELEPROMPTER
STATEMENT AND LIST OF REPORTERS
HE HAD TO CALL ON.
TOUTED EVACUATION SUCCESS IN THE
CRISIS THAT EUROPE, NATO AND UK.
DEMOCRATS SAY, REPUBLICANS SAY
HE CREATED.
YOUR TAKE ON THIS PRESS
CONFERENCE?
>> I’M ABSOLUTELY INFURIATED AND
BESIDE MYSELF.
HE ALSO SAID BAGRAM AIRFIELD
ADDED LITTLE VALUE TO THE
SITUATION EARLY ON.
HE SPENT AN ENTIRE 10 SECONDS,
ONLY 10 SECONDS TO TALK ABOUT
THE FALLEN MARINES AND OUR
SOLDIERS WHO LITERALLY LOST
THEIR LIVES BECAUSE OF HIS
MISTAKES.
I’M PISSED OFF, I WANT MY
PRESIDENT, OUR PRESIDENT TO BE
PISSED OFF AS ALL OF US ARE.
HE IS LIVING IN HIS OWN WORLD
AND NOT LOOKING AT THE FACTS AND
DATA ON THE GROUND.
HE NEEDS TO SHIFT TO MIND-SET OF
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF RATHER THAN
CHIEF DIPLOMAT.
ELIZABETH: HE SEEMED DETACHED,
OUT OF TOUCH AND NOT EMOTIONAL
HERE, COLONEL.
IT IS SICKENING ATTACK.
AMERICANS ARE OUTRAGEED.
FIGHT BE MEN AND WOMEN MOURNING
TODAY.
YOU DIDN’T FEEL THAT EMOTION
FROM HIM.
THE OPERATIONAL PLANS HE IS
TALKING ABOUT TO STRIKE ISIS, DO
YOU BELIEVE HIM?
>> NO.
I MEAN I THINK THERE ARE A
COUPLE OF PROBLEMS.
YOU KNOW FROM, LOOK, FROM
EMOTIONAL PERSPECTIVE I HAD 25
YEARS IN THE MILITARY.
SOLDIERS AND MARINES ARE JUST
PART OF ME AND THIS BREAKS ME
LIKE NOTHING I CAN IMAGINE BUT
FROM A DETACHED MILITARY
STANDPOINT PROBLEM NUMBER ONE HE
SAYS WE THINK IT IS ISIS.
THEY COULDN’T FIGURE OUT WHETHER
COVID CAME OUT AFTER CHINA LAB
BUT THEY KNOW THIS IS ISIS,
RIGHT?
PROBLEM NUMBER ONE HOW WE’LL GET
THEM.
HE KEEPS SAYING WE’LL GO OVER
THE HORIZON.
PART OF THE PRESIDENT’S PLAN WAS
TO ABANDON THE ENTIRE MILITARY
FOOTPRINT IN AFGHANISTAN.
WE HAVE NO FOOTPRINT IN SOUTH
ASIA TO DO COUNTERTERRORISM AND
INTELLIGENCE AFGHANISTAN.
WE’RE NOT COMING FROM THE
HORIZON.
WE’RE BASICALLY COMING FROM THE
OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON.
THE OTHER THING IS LOOK, WHAT IS
THE WORST SCENARIO?
TALIBAN CONTROLLING ALL THE
TERRORISTS, OR THE TALIBAN NOT
CONTROLLING ALL THE TERRORISTS?
EITHER WAY YOU HAVE TAKEN A
RELATIVELY STABLE THEATER,
TURNED INTO A TERRORIST
DISNEYLAND.
YOU OFFERED ZERO THINKING HOW
YOU WILL DEAL WITH THAT.
ELIZABETH: WE HEAR YOU LOUD AND
CLEAR.
THE PRESIDENT ALSO JUST MOMENTS
AGO QUOTED GEORGE W. BUSH IN
SAYING WE WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AT
A TIME OF OUR CHOOSING.
CONGRESSMAN, LET’S TALK ABOUT
THE FATAL MISTAKE TO GIVE UP AND
ABANDON BAGRAM AIR FORCE BASE.
THE PRESIDENT HAD CONSIDERED
TODAY’S TERROR ATTACKS AS EVEN A
REMOTE POSSIBILITY.
ISN’T IS, A PLAUSIBLE SCENARIO,
THEN WHY GIVE UP BAGRAM AIRBASE?
>> THERE IS NO RATIONALE THAT
MAKES SENSE TO GIVE UP BAGRAM
AIRFIELD.
LOOK, THE BOTTOM LINE HE ADOPTED
A MIND-SET THAT THE STATE
DEPARTMENT WOULD RUN THIS
NEGOTIATION FROM DAY ONE.
THEY MADE DIPLOMATIC CHOICES.
WITHIN THOSE TRADES APPARENTLY
THERE WAS A DECISION TO LET THEM
HAVE BAGRAM AIRFIELD AND ALL THE
EQUIPMENT RESIDING THERE.
TURN OVER EFFECTIVELY ALL THE AS
SETS TO ABANDON OUR AFGHAN
PARTNERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
NIGHT.
EFFECTIVELY TO ALLOW TALIBAN TO
RUNRAMPANT THROUGHOUT THE NATION
AND PAINTING US IN A CORNER IN
THE CITY OF KABUL AND AIRFIELD
OF KABUL.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE RISKIEST
OPTION THEY COULD HAVE
CONSIDERED.
THE BUREAUCRATS IN THE STATE
DEPARTMENT WERE MAKING DECISIONS
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS.
A LOT OF THESE WERE THE SAME
ONES THAT BOTCHED BENGHAZI IN
2012.
WE’RE SEEING A LOT OF LESSONS
LEARNED HERE.
NEED TO PIVOT THIS AS
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF AND TURN IT
INTO MILITARY OPTION.
THE MISSION CAN’T GET ALL
AMERICANS OUT 8-31.
THE MISSION IS GETTING ALL
AMERICANS DONE AND COST WITH
THAT AND THEN LEAVE AFGHANISTAN
TO FIGURE OUT THE NEXT STEPS.
ELIZABETH: THE U.S. SOLDIERS PAY
HIGHEST PRICE TO ABANDON BACK
RAM AIR FORCE BASE WHERE THAT
COULD HAVE BEEN A SECURE BASE.
HOW DO WE RESCUE 1000 AMERICANS.
SECRETARY OF STATE ADMITTED THAT
IS ROLLING NUMBER A CALCULATION
THEY ARE REFINING BASED ON
ESTIMATES.
THEY STILL DON’T KNOW HOW MANY
AMERICANS ARE THERE.
WE HAVE PEOPLE RACING TO THE
BORDERS OF PAKISTAN AND IRAN.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?
>> RIGHT.
SO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU PLAN A
MILITARY OPERATION SO YOU PLAN
IT AS YOU GO ALONG YOU OPEN
YOURSELF UP TO MORE
OPPORTUNITIES AND YOU LIMITED
ENEMIES.
WE’LL HE HAVE DONE EXACTLY THE
OPPOSITE BECAUSE WE ARE BEING
RUN BY THE DIPLOMATS.
AS THE OPERATION PROGRESSED WE
NARROWED THE OPTIONS WE HAVE.
I THINK WE’LL BE OUT OF KABUL
AIRPORT IN NEW YORK MINUTE.
THEY WILL BUG OUT.
I KNOW AT THIS POINT THEY DON’T
HAVE ANY OPTIONS.
IT IS COMPLETELY INDEFENSIBLE.
THEY WILL SET UP RAT LINES.
THEY HAVE ASSETS THEY PIECE
TOGETHER.
A LOT OF THESE ARE NOT COMING
FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.
COMING FROM FOLKS PUTTING THIS
TOGETHER.
THEY WILL DO RAT LINES TO GET
PEOPLE TO UZBEKISTAN,
TAJIKISTAN, MAYBE PAKISTAN.
I TELL YOU, EUROPEANS ARE REALLY
WORRIED VERY LIKELY WHAT WILL
HAPPEN THERE WILL BE A MASS
EXODUS.
THAT WILL PROBABLY GO THROUGH
IRAN AND COULD WELL DUMP INTO
WESTERN EUROPE.
THEY COULD FACE A SYRIA-LIKE
MASS EXODUS.
THEY’RE ANGRY WHAT THE PRESIDENT
HAS DONE TO THEM.
ELIZABETH: PEOPLE ARE EXTREMELY
CONCERNED ABOUT THE AMERICANS
NOW STRANDED.
THE PRESIDENT AND WHITE HOUSE
PRESS SECRETARY ALREADY ADMITTED
AMERICANS MAY BE LEFT BEHIND.
WE’VE NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE IN
U.S. HISTORY IN THIS FOOTING.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT.
THE PENTAGON TODAY SAYS THE U.S.
MILITARY HAS APACHE HELICOPTER
GUN SHIPS AND DRONES AT KABUL
AIRPORT TO STRIKE BACK.
WAR VETERANS LIKE MICHAEL WALTZ
SAYS THE WHITE HOUSE IS DAMAGING
THE RESCUE EFFORT THAT THE
MILITARY IS ON FOOTING OF
AVERSE.
THETHE BIDEN TEAM IS PUSHING DAY
TAUNT FOR THE TALIBAN LETTING
THEM CALL THE AIRPORT.
VICE PRESIDENT BIDE WAS
CRITICIZED SAYING FOR
VICE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, GO