DefSec Austin Cannot ‘Confirm Or Deny’ That There Are Still 4,000 US Citizens In Afghanistan

[mystery-ak]

DefSec Austin Cannot ‘Confirm Or Deny’ That There Are Still 4,000 US Citizens In Afghanistan


Anders Hagstrom
White House Correspondent
September 28, 2021 12:22 PM ET


Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin cannot “confirm or deny” that there are still 4,000 U.S. citizens stuck in Afghanistan, he testified to Congress on Tuesday.

Austin appeared before the Senate Armed Forces Committee alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command. The trio was tasked with explaining how President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan turned from “safe and orderly” to deadly and frantic.

Republican Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe pressed Austin on how many U.S. citizens remain in the county. He cited the State Department’s original assertion that there were 10,000-15,000 citizens in the country as the evacuation got underway. Austin and Milley have also stated that they succeeded in evacuating roughly 6,000 U.S. citizens.

“That would mean a minimum of 4,000 would still be there now. Would anyone disagree?” Inhofe said.

He met with several seconds of silence.

“By your silence, I assume you agree,” he said.

more
https://dailycaller.com/2021/09/28/lloyd-austin-afghanistan-citizens-biden-milley/

[Free Vulcan]

McKenzie and Austin both directly and indirectly, respectively, threw Biden under the bus.

Wheels must be really falling off that bus.

[Kamaji]

McKenzie and Austin both directly and indirectly, respectively, threw Biden under the bus.

Wheels must be really falling off that bus.

Well, the political calculation probably was that they can be allowed to do so because (a) the Congress is not going to impeach Biden for anything since the democrats control it (or, at least, can prevent any impeachment), and (b) the MSM will work assiduously to push all of this to the bottom of the barrel, where it will - they hope - be forgotten in short order.

[GtHawk]

I think we all new it was...malarkey when Biden's incompetents were telling us that there were only 200, then 100 or less US citizens left in Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago. If the BS coming out Biden and his administration was actual manure it would make Bandini Mountain look like an ant hill.

[Free Vulcan]

Well, the political calculation probably was that they can be allowed to do so because (a) the Congress is not going to impeach Biden for anything since the democrats control it (or, at least, can prevent any impeachment), and (b) the MSM will work assiduously to push all of this to the bottom of the barrel, where it will - they hope - be forgotten in short order.

@Kamaji

'They hope' being an excellent qualifier to describe their strategy.

Politically this is a weak, defensive posture of retreat that I don't see working out the way they envision.

Jimmy Carter probably described it best - malaise. That dark cloud of widespread failure and negativity throughout the entire landscape is starting to really settle in on the Biden admin.

This latest episode is just adding to that bigger picture.

[PeteS in CA]

If he doesn't know the +/-10% number, it's because he told his minions not to tell him. IMO, he knows, probably closer than +/-10%, but won't give out info that makes LIEden and his Klown Kar Kluster-F Krew look as bad as they in fact are.