Pelosi defends Biden on Afghanistan: 'I trust his judgment'
By Scott Wong - 08/25/21 10:47 AM EDT
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday defended President Biden, saying she trusts his “judgment” as he’s come under withering attack from Democratic and Republican lawmakers for sticking by his deadline to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by Aug. 31.
“The judgment about leaving is a judgment that the president has made, and he has to balance the equities of what is the threat to our military and the people at the airport versus the advantage of staying,” Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol.
Many lawmakers “really want to encourage the president to stay longer, but he has to weigh the equities of the danger versus the advantage, and I trust his judgment.”
In a speech Tuesday, Biden said he believed the U.S. still was "on pace" to evacuate all Americans and Afghan allies by the end of the month, even as he warned of potential terrorist attacks that could disrupt the operation and asked top officials to prepare contingency plans if the U.S. is forced to stay longer.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/569335-pelosi-defends-biden-on-afghanistan-i-trust-his-judgment