The Biden administration is attempting to get media outlets to praise its Afghanistan evacuation, even though the situation has been a disaster.
Politico reported that within the past week, the Biden administration went from dodging questions and avoiding the topic of Afghanistan to expecting praise.
“Top Biden officials and administration allies have begun aggressively touting the success of their evacuation efforts in the war-torn country, offering frequent updates on the number of evacuees. They’ve framed the operation as historic — in line with the Berlin airlift — declared that they’re ‘over performing’ their own metrics, and trumpeted the president as ‘defying expectations,’” the outlet reported. “It’s a startling 180 from the defensive crouch Biden and his team occupied just days ago, one that reflects the sense of combativeness that has emerged in the West Wing as they sort through the first major, sustained crisis of the administration. And while it’s sparked accusations that the president’s team is trying to divert attention away from a crisis of its own creation, Biden’s defenders stress that, for now at least, he deserves to crow.”
On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the evacuation a “success” during a press briefing.
“I would say that this is now on track to be largest airlift in U.S. history… so no, I would not say that is anything but a success.”
Psaki had been responding to a question by Fox News’ Peter Doocy, who asked if the U.S. was concerned that some of the Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan may have ties to terrorist groups.
Philippe Reines, a former State Department employee during the Obama administration, said the Biden administration hasn’t shifted its message — it’s just that the situation has shifted.
“That’s not a shifting message. That’s the transition, that’s what’s happening on the ground. That’s a change of circumstances,” he said.
It seems difficult to claim the situation has improved given the latest details. There are reportedly more than 10,000 people still waiting to be evacuated from the country, yet the U.S. is already pulling out its troops ahead of the August 31 deadline originally set by President Joe Biden.
The Daily Wire reported Wednesday that Afghanistan is now facing a humanitarian crisis as Western countries pull out their troops and citizens from the country.
“An internal document of the World Food Program warns that, ‘A humanitarian crisis of incredible proportions is unfolding before our eyes. Conflict combined with drought and covid-19 is pushing the people of Afghanistan into a humanitarian catastrophe,’” The Washington Post reported.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has claimed it has evacuated more than 75,000 people since July, according to Politico. Now the administration is expecting the narrative to change and the media to follow suit, but the conditions on the ground don’t seem to favor praise, especially after reports that the U.S. will leave behind 75,000 military vehicles, and 600,000 weapons.”