>> Bret: GRIFF JENKINS AT THE
STATE DEPARTMENT.
THANK YOU.
LET’S BRING IN ARKANSAS
REPUBLICAN SENATOR TOM COTTON
SERVES ON INTELLIGENCE AND ARMED
SERVICES COMMITTEE.
SENATOR, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME, BRET.
>> Bret: YOU JUST HEARD THAT
REPORT FROM THE STATE
DEPARTMENT, YOUR REACTION TO
WHAT’S HAPPENING OR HOW THEY ARE
TALKING ABOUT IT.
>> WELL, BRET, THE STATE
DEPARTMENT STILL CAN’T GET ITS
FACTS STRAIGHT.
JUST TWO HOURS BEFORE TONY
BLINKEN TOLD AMERICA THAT THERE
WERE 1500 OF THEIR FELLOW
CITIZENS STRANDED IN
AFGHANISTAN, ONE OF HIS AIDES
BRIEFED CONGRESSIONAL STAFF AND
SAID THERE WERE 4100.
SOMETHING TELLS ME THEY DIDN’T
GET 2600 AMERICAN CITIZENS OUT
IN THE SPAN OF TWO HOURS TODAY.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT STILL
NEARLY TWO WEEKS ON CANNOT
ANSWER THE SIMPLE QUESTION OF
HOW MANY AMERICANS WE HAVE
STRANDED IN AFGHANISTAN.
AND I’M WORRIED THAT THIS
REFLECTS THE DESIRE BY JOE BIDEN
TO ROLL UP STAKES AND FLY OUT IN
A FEW DAYS AND TO SAY THAT ANY
AMERICAN STILL IN AFGHANISTAN
WANTED TO STAY THERE.
WELL, WE HAVE GOT LOTS AND LOTS
OF AMERICANS WHO HAVE CONTACTED
OUR OFFICES AND I KNOW THAT
OTHER REPRESENTATIVE SENATORS DO
AS WELL OF TRYING TO GET OUT.
THEY CAN’T REACH ANYONE IN THE
STATE DEPARTMENT.
THEY ARE DESPERATE TO GET ON A
FLIGHT AND WE NEED TO STAY IN
AFGHANISTAN AT THAT AIRPORT AND
WE NEED TO GO OUT AND COLLECT UP
ANY AMERICAN CITIZEN IN NEED OF
ASSISTANCE AND GET THEM OUT
BEFORE WE BRING OUR TROOPS HOME.
>> Bret: HERE IS ANOTHER SEGMENT
OF THAT BRIEFING WITH THE PRESS
AND SECRETARY OF STATE BLINKEN.
>> THE TALIBAN HAVE MADE PUBLIC
AND PRIVATE COMMITMENTS TO
PROVIDE AND PERMIT SAFE PASSAGE
FOR AMERICANS FOR THIRD COUNTRY
NATIONALS, AND AFGHANS AT RISK
GOING FORWARD PAST
AUGUST 31st.
WE’RE DEVELOPING DETAILED PLANS
FOR HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO
PROVIDE COUNSELOR SUPPORT AND
FACILITATE DEPARTURES FOR THOSE
WHO WISH TO LEAVE AFTER
AUGUST 31st.
>> Bret: CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO
PEOPLE COUNSELOR SUPPORT ONCE
U.S. TROOPS LEAVE FOR AMERICANS
TO GET TO THE AIRPORT AND TO GET
OUT OF THAT COUNTRY THROUGH THE
TALIBAN?
>> NO, I CAN’T EXPLAIN IT, BRET.
BECAUSE IT’S INEXPLICABLE.
IN A NORMAL COUNTRY WITH A
NORMAL GOVERNMENT SAY AN
AMERICAN VISITING GREAT BRITAIN
IF YOU LOST YOUR PASSPORT YOU GO
TO THE EMBASSY AND COUNSELOR
SERVICES WOULD HELP YOU GET YOUR
PASSPORT OR GET TEMPORARY
DOCUMENTS TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY.
WE ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE AN
EMBASSY IN AFGHANISTAN.
I CAN’T BELIEVE OURSELVES IS
TAKING THE TALIBAN’S WORD AT
FACE VALUE.
AGAIN, MY OFFICE HAS HEARD FROM
MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE OUTSIDE THE
GATES OF THE AIRPORT WHO HAVE
SEEN TALIBAN GOONS BEATING
PEOPLE TO INCLUDE AMERICANS WITH
STICKS AND CHAINS AND PIPES,
TAKING THEIR VISAS OR TAKING
THEIR PASSPORTS AND THE IDEA
THAT THE TALIBAN WHICH HAS BEEN
SPONSORS AND SUPPORTING AND
WORKING IN CONCERT WITH
TERRORISTS FOR 25 YEARS IS ALL
OF A SUDDEN GOING TO TURN OVER A
NEW LEAF AND LET ANYONE WHO IS
STUCK IN AFGHANISTAN AFTER
TUESDAY LEAVE THE COUNTRY
PEACEFULLY IS A FANTASY AND I
CAN’T BELIEVE THAT’S THE
POSITION OF THE UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT.
>> Bret: SENATOR, YOU HAVE
MENTIONED A NUMBER OF PEOPLE
REACHING OUT TO YOU AND THE
PEOPLE ON THE GROUND, THEIR
CONCERNS.
THERE HAVE BEEN PRIVATE EFFORTS
THROUGH LAWMAKERS THROUGH FORMER
MILITARY.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT AT ALL?
>> YES, SO MY OFFICE A COUPLE
WEEKENDS AGO WHEN WE REALIZED
THE SCALE OF THIS FIASCO JUST
HOW MANY THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS
WERE STUCK BEHIND ENEMY LINES
WITHOUT ANY CLEAR GUIDANCE FROM
THE STATE DEPARTMENT SET UP A
HOTLINE AND FIELDED HUNDREDS
PROBABLY BY THIS POINT THOUSANDS
OF CALLS.
WE HAVE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF
CASES OPEN RIGHT NOW.
MANY OF THESE ARE AMERICAN
CITIZENS OR GREEN CARD HOLDERS
WHO ARE AFGHANS WHO HAVE BEEN
APPROVED AND VETTED FOR SPECIAL
IMMIGRANT VISAS BECAUSE THEY
RISKED THEIR LIVES ALONGSIDE
AMERICAN TROOPS.
AND THEY SIMPLY COULDN’T GET
INFORMATION.
WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HELP THEM
GET THE INFORMATION THEY NEED.
WE HELPED SOME OF THEM GET
INSIDE THE AIRPORT AND GET ON
FLIGHTS, EVENTUALLY.
BUT, AGAIN, WE HAVE HUNDREDS, IF
NOT THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS
CITIZENS, STRANDED STRANDED IN
AFGHANISTAN.
I WOULD POINT OUT, TOO.
WE HAVE A LOT OF GREEN CARD
HOLDERS AS WELL WHO ARE IN
AFGHANISTAN AND FROM THE REPORTS
WE GOT FROM THE SECRETARY OF
STATE AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT
TODAY, WE’RE NOT TAKING ANY
STEPS ANYMORE TO EVACUATE THESE
GREEN CARD HOLDERS.
TO SAY NOTHING OF AFGHANS WHO
FOUGHT ALONGSIDE US.
>> Bret: ON TURN TOPICS, THE
ORIGINS OF COVID REPORT.
THE 90 DAY REPORT THE
ADMINISTRATION.
JEN PSAKI WAS ASKED ABOUT THAT
TODAY.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> HE DID NOT JUST RECEIVE A
COPY, HE RECEIVED A BRIEFING
YESTERDAY ON THE 90-DAY ORIGINS
REPORT OF CLASSIFIED BRIEFING
SO, OF COURSE, THAT’S NOT
INFORMATION WE WOULD PROVIDE
PUBLICLY.
>> IS THERE A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WAS THE
ULTIMATE ORIGIN?
>> AGAIN, I CAN’T OBVIOUSLY
SPEAK TO A CLASSIFIED BRIEFING.
I HAVE KNOW YOU ARE EAGER TO
RECEIVE AN UNCLASSIFIED SUMMARY.
THAT’S SOMETHING THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN
WORKING TO PRODUCE AND AS SOON
AS THAT IS AVAILABLE IT WILL BE
PUT OUT PUBLICLY FROM THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY FROM ODNI
AND WE WILL ALSO ENSURE YOU ALL
HAVE ACCESS TO IT.
>> Bret: WE ARE ALL EAGER TO
HAVE ACCESS TO THAT HERE IS THE
"THE WASHINGTON POST" BIDEN
RECEIVES INCONCLUSIVE
INTELLIGENCE REPORT ON COVID
ORIGINS DESPITE ANALYZING
EXISTING INTELLIGENCE AND
SEARCHING NEW CLUES INTELLIGENCE
OFFICIALS FELL SHORT OF
CONSENSUS.
BLOOMBERG SAYS INCONCLUSIVE
ANIMALS OR LAB, DOESN’T POINT
SQUARELY TO ONE SOURCE AS THE
LIKELY ORIGIN OF THE OUTBREAK.
YOU ARE ON THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE.
IS THAT A FAIR ASSESSMENT?
>> WELL, IT’S WHAT I EXPECTED,
BRET.
I HAVEN’T BEEN BRIEFED ON THIS
REPORT YET.
BUT, LOOK, I HAVE SAID FOR A
LONG TIME THAT ALL THE EVIDENCE
POINTING TOWARDS THE ORIGINS OF
THIS VIRUS WERE PROBABLY
DESTROYED LONG AGO.
PEOPLE INVOLVED IN IT WERE
PROBABLY EITHER KILLED OR
DISAPPEARED IN CHINESE GO LOGS.
BUT ALL OF THE CIRCUMSTANTIAL
EVIDENCE WE HAVE EVERY BIT OF
COMMON SENSE AMERICANS HAVE
POINTS DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE LABS
IN WUHAN NOT TO THAT STUPID FOOD
MARKET.
CHINA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
UNLEASHING THIS PLAGUE ON THE
WORLD.
IT’S TIME TO MAKE CHINA PAY.
>> Bret: DO YOU THINK AFTER THIS
90 DAY REPORT THAT SEEMS LIKE
IT’S ENDING IN NOTHING.
THAT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS
SOMEHOW GOING TO DO SOMETHING
DIFFERENT WHEN IT COMES TO CHINA
AND COVID?
>> NO.
I SEVERELY DOUBT IT I MEAN THEY
HAVEN’T DONE MUCH DIFFERENT
ABOUT CHINA FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING.
THEY JUST DID THIS TO TRY TO
TURN THE PAGE AND MOVE ON TO
WHAT THEY HOPE IS THE NEPTION
CHAPTER WHICH RIGHT NOW RECKLESS
$3.5 TRILLION TAX AND SPENDING
PLAN WHICH THEY’RE TRYING TO
TURN THE PAGE TO AFGHANISTAN AS