WHITE HOUSE REVIEW OF THE DEADLY
EXIT FROM AFGHANISTAN WHICH THEY
SAY WAS GREAT.
HE IS LAYING ALMOST ALL THE
BLAME ON FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE REPORT
AND WHAT PRESIDENT BIDEN SAID
ABOUT THE WITHDRAWAL.
I MEAN, FIRST OFF, ONE OF THE
CLAIMS AND WE ARE GOING TO GO
OVER IT IN DETAIL -- NO ONE
PREDICTED.
WE CAN GO BACK AGAIN.
NO ONE PREDICTED DURING THE
COLLAPSE OF THE AFGHAN ARMY
AUGUST 19, 2021.
THE REALITY, THE MILITARY AND
ALL INTEL OFFICERS SAID IF YOU
GET DOWN TO A CERTAIN THRESHOLD
WHEN IT COMES TO TROOPS, WE’RE
GOING TO HAVE TROUBLE HOLDING
THE COUNTRY.
AND THERE WERE SOME SIGNS THAT
THEY ARE LOSING HALF THE COUNTRY
ALREADY WHEN THEY WERE STILL
DEBATING WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO
DO IN AUGUST.
THE CLAIM, MILITARY ADVISERS DID
NOT URGE HIM TO KEEP 2500 TROOPS
IN AFGHANISTAN.
THE REALITY?
TOP GENERAL ADVISED KEEPING
SEVERAL THOUSAND TROOPS IN
AFGHANISTAN.
HOLDING ON TO BAGRAM AIR BASE.
KEEP IN MIND YOU HAD 7,000 NATO
TROOPS THERE.
SO, TOGETHER, THEY HAD ENOUGH TO
SUSTAIN THE FORCE.
AND MAYBE GIVE THIS WAR A CHANCE
FOR A SOFT LANDING OR A
TRANSITION AND A GOVERNMENT TO
HOLD ITSELF.
AFTER ALL, TECHNICALLY, THEY HAD
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF TROOPS
BETWEEN THE POLICE AND BETWEEN
THE MILITARY.
AND FINALLY IN THE LAST VISIT,
IN THE LAST WALL VISIT WE HAVE
THIS.
THE AFGHAN FUND.
THEY HAVE MONEY.
IT’S FROZEN BECAUSE THE TALIBAN
PROMISED TO DO CERTAIN THINGS IN
ORDER TO UNFREEZE THOSE FUNDS.
THEY HAVE DONE ALMOST NONE OF
IT.
OUR OUR ALLIES AND SOME
AMERICANS ARE STILL THERE SO
THEY HAVE 3.5 MILLION FROZEN
AFGHAN ASSETS.
AND, GUESS WHAT?
THEY ARE GOING TO START USING
THEM.
THEY ARE GOING TO START GETTING
AHOLD OF SOME OF THOSE FUNDS.
LET’S EXPAND ON WHAT WE LEARNED
WITH NOW RETIRED LIEU TEN BE
NANT COLONEL C.J. DOUGLAS.
GREAT TO SEE YOU, COLONEL.
>> GREAT TO SEE YOU.
>> Brian: WHAT ROLE DID YOU HAVE
IN THE AFTER ACTION REPORT OF
THE AFGHANISTAN OPERATION.
>> BRIAN, I WAS PART OF THE
CENTRAL COMMAND AR-15 6
INVESTIGATION.
THAT LOOKED INTO THE ACTIONS
BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE
ATTACK AT ABBY GATE.
>> Brian: WHERE WERE YOU DURING
THE EXIT?
>> DURING THE EXIT FOR PART OF
THE TIME I WAS IN TAMPA DOWN AT
MARINE CENTRAL COMMAND AND THEN
FOR THE REMAINDER I WAS IN QATAR
ASSISTING WITH THE EVACUATION
EFFORTS.
>> Brian: WHEN YOU SEE QATAR,
THAT’S WHERE YOU WERE?
>> YES.
>> WAS THAT CHAOTIC.
>> IT WAS CHAOTIC.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THEY
RECEIVED -- THAT ICONIC PICTURE
OF THE PLANE FILLED WITH AFGHANS
WHICH IS ABOUT 800, THAT LANDED
IN QATAR, THOSE PEOPLE ALL GOT
PROCESSED THROUGH THERE AND IT
WAS CHAOTIC.
>> Brian: THERE WERE PEOPLE
WILL -- YOU HAD TO SCRAPE HUMAN
REMAINS OFF THE WHEEL WELLS WHEN
THOSE PLANES LANDED, DID YOU
NOT.
>> DID I NOT BUT SERVICE MEMBERS
DID.
>> Brian: WHEN AUSTIN AND SHOWED
UP OPERATIONS IN QATAR.
THEY SAW HANGERS THAT WERE
ORGANIZED.
THEY CHOSE NOT TO GO TO THE
PLACE THAT WAS TOTAL CHAOS.
>> I CAN SAY IN THEIR DEFENSE IN
THIS?
THEY WERE STEERED TOWARDS
HANGERS THAT WERE PREPARED FOR
THEIR VIEW.
WHAT THEY WERE UNAWARE OF WAS
THE ABSOLUTE CHAOS THAT WAS
CREATED BY PUTTING ALL THE
PERSONNEL THAT WERE IN THE
HANGERS IS THAT THEY SAW AND
THAT CREATED ADDITIONAL CHAOS.
>> HERE IS WHAT JOHN KIRBY SAID
YESTERDAY.
LET’S LISTEN.
>> AND TO FOR ALL THIS TALK OF
CHAOS, I JUST DIDN’T SEE IT.
NOT FROM MY PERCH.
AT ONE POINT DURING THE
EVACUATION THERE WAS AIRCRAFT
TAKING OFF FULL OF PEOPLE,
AMERICANS AND AFGHANS ALIKE
EVERY 48 MINUTES, AND NOT ONE
SINGLE MISSION WAS MISSED.
SO, I’M SORRY, I JUST WON’T BUY
THE WHOLE ARGUMENT OF CHAOS.
IT WAS TOUGH IN THE FIRST FEW
HOURS.
YOU WOULD EXPECT IT TO BE THERE
WAS NOBODY AT THE AIRPORT.
CERTAINLY NO AMERICANS.
IT TOOK TIME TO GET IF THERE.
>> Brian: DO YOU AGREE.
>> I DISAGREE COMPLETELY.
I HAVE CAN SAY THAT WHILE I HAVE
GOT GREAT RESPECT FOR MR. KIRBY,
HE CAME IN LATE DURING THE
BRIEFING THAT WE GAVE THE
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, SO MAYBE
HE MISSED SOME OF THE IMAGES AND
VIDEOS THAT WE SHOWED POST
RETURN FROM QATAR.
>> Brian: AS OF LATE OF MAY OF
2021 THE ASSESSMENT WAS STILL
THAT CABLEKABUL WOULD NOT COME U
SERIOUS PRESSURE UNTIL LATE OF
2021.
THAT’S THE CLAIM.
WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT THAT.
>> I SAY THAT’S RIDICULOUS.
ANYBODY WHO WAS WATCHING THE
NEWS SAW THE INCREASE OF TALIBAN
ENCIRCLEMENT OF THE PROVINCIAL
CAPITALS THROUGHOUT AFGHANISTAN
AND ULTIMATELY TIGHTENING THE
NOOSE AROUND KABUL TO THE POINT
THAT, YOU KNOW, IT DIDN’T TAKE A
STUDENT OF MILITARY HISTORY TO
SEE WHAT THEY WERE GETTING READY
TO EXECUTE.
>> Brian: THE DECISION TO NOTIFY
COALITION PARTNERS PREPARING FOR
THE NEO ENDED UP BEING A
TREMENDOUS MISTAKE AND RESULTED
IN A CHAOTIC EVACUATION.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
>> THE.
>> Brian: THEY WRITE.
AFTER THE ENTIRE ASSAULT
AFGHANISTAN FALLEN TO THE
TALIBAN NEO ON AUGUST 14TH.
YOU STARTED MONTHS EARLIER WHEN
WE STILL -- SHOULD HAVE STARTED
MONTHS EARLIER.
>> SHOULD HAVE STARTED MUCH
EARLIER.
LET’S BE HONEST IF IT WAS A WE
ARE GOING TO WITHDRAW, THE
PRESIDENT HIMSELF HAD MADE THIS
REFLECTION UPON IRAQ SAYING IT
WOULD TAKE A YEAR TO GET ALL THE
PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT OUT IT.
WOULD TAKE SEVEN MONTHS IF WE
LEFT EVERYTHING AND OUR
GRANDCHILDREN WOULD ULTIMATELY
PAY THE PRICE FOR THOSE WEAPONS.
>> Brian: WAS THE PRESIDENT AND
FIRST LADY CALLING IN TO KABUL
AIRPORT, HARMID KARZAI AIRPORT
DEMANDING CERTAIN VIPS GET IN?
>> FROM OUR INTERVIEWS WE FOUND
THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP ALL THE
WAY DOWN TO THE LOWER LEVELS
WERE RECEIVING CALLS FROM THE
PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY, THE
ADMINISTRATION GENERAL OFFICERS
FLAG OFFICERS AND ELECTED
OFFICIALS.
>> Brian: WAS THE STATE
DEPARTMENT DRINKING BEFORE THE
NIGHT THEY WERE LEAVING HAVING
AN EXIT PARTY IN THE EMBASSY?
>> AS A RESULT OF THE
INVESTIGATION, WHAT WE LEARNED
WAS PERSONNEL SAYING IT
PHYSICALLY TOOK SERVICE MEMBERS,
U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS TO GO DOOR
TO DOOR TO PULL PERSONNEL FROM
THE EMBASSY OUT OF THEIR ROOMS
AT THE TIME OF THE EVACUATION.
>> Brian: WAS THERE A PLAN LEFT
FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN.
>> LET’S BE HONEST, YOU KNOW, AS
FAR AS DOD IS CONCERNED.
THEY WERE WORKING A PLAN.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AND THAT’S WELL
BEFORE THE 14TH OF AUGUST.
I MEAN, BUT, WHETHER OR NOT
THERE WAS A PLAN, YOU KNOW, I
THINK YOU HAVE SAID IT BEFORE, I
MEAN, ULTIMATELY, THE DECISION
TO LEAVE AND TO FOLLOW THE TRUMP
ESTABLISHED TIMELINE RESTS
SOLELY ON THE ADMINISTRATION.
I MEAN, WE HAVE SEEN THAT HE
HAS, YOU KNOW, HE HAD THE
ABILITY AS THE PRESIDENT, THE
ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO LEAVE 1
MAY.
THEY MOVED IT TO SEPTEMBER 11TH.
IT WAS BACKED UP TO THE FIRST OF
SEPTEMBER AND ULTIMATELY THE
31st U.S. FORCES WERE OUT.
TO SAY THAT THERE WAS NO PLAN,
DOD PERSONNEL, CENTRAL COMMAND
PERSONNEL WERE RAPIDLY PLANNING
TO COORDINATE AND EXECUTE AN
EVACUATION.
>> Brian: THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS?
>> IT’S OUTRAGEOUS.
>> Brian: AND INACCURATE.
>> INACCURATE.
>> Brian: ALL RIGHT, COLONEL.