WASHINGTON WIRE

 

Just hours after Western nations warned that a terror attack was imminent, an Islamic terrorists detonated a bomb at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 13 American servicemen and over 100 Afghans. President Joe Biden was missing in action for most of the day, and then held an odd press conference in which he appeared visibly emotional and talked of his late son's cancer. In a declaration that mirrored that of George W. Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Biden said: "We will hunt you down and make you pay."

 

Throughout the day, a bipartisan group of lawmakers called on Biden to extend his self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline to pull U.S. forces out. But by the end of the day, a slew of Republicans called for Biden to resign or be impeached for what became the deadliest day for American troops in more than a decade. During the chaos, reports emerged that the Biden administration had given the Taliban a list of the names of U.S. citizens, green card holders, and Afghan allies that needed to be allowed into the airport so they could be evacuated -- prompting one critic to label it a "kill list." Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris was busy 7,000 miles away in Asia being upstaged by China. Back in Washington, the Pentagon and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted two lawmakers for taking a secret trip to Kabul. As the two lawmakers returned, they said the situation was even worse than Biden's portrayal. Here's your latest installment of Washington Wire.

1. Deadliest Day In Decade

WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

A suicide bombing rocked Kabul late Thursday night local time, killing 13 Marines and other service members as well as over 100 Afghans who had packed near the airport in an effort to leave as the Taliban takes over.
 
The explosion occurred at a checkpoint for evacuees entering Hamid Karzai International Airport, where U.S. service members were screening potential individuals for some of the last rescue flights out of Afghanistan, before the U.S. military officially withdraws on Aug. 31. Officials initially said a second explosion occurred just outside the gate of the Baron Hotel, which was serving as a secure location for Americans leaving the country, but on Friday afternoon, officials said there was only one after all. 
 
Biden and his generals had given responsibility for securing the perimeter of the airport to the Taliban, but the attacker appears to have gotten past the checkpoints. 
 
An ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for the attack. The militant group released a photo it said was of the bomber who carried out the attack seen standing with an explosive belt in front of a black ISIS flag. He had a black cloth covering his face and only his eyes were showing.

2. MIA Biden Finally Speaks

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The president, who was silent for nearly the entire day, finally appeared eight hours after the chaos to deliver a rambling statement and take a few questions from pre-selected journalists. 
 
Speaking late Thursday afternoon, a visibly exhausted Biden said it was a “tough day” and praised the U.S. military before pledging to “hunt down” ISIS and make them pay for the loss of American lives.
 
“They are part of the bravest, most capable, the best, selfless military on the face of the earth, and they are part of simply what I call the backbone of America,” Biden said of American troops. “They are the spine of America — the best the country has to offer.”
 
“We will not forgive, we will not forget,” he added. “We will hunt you down and make you pay. We will respond with precision, at our time, at a place that we choose, and the moment of our choosing. Here’s what you need to know. These ISIS terrorists will not win.”

3. Biden Crumples At Fox News Question

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The president bent over in exasperation at his podium during a back-and-forth with Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy regarding whether he takes responsibility for the chaos in Afghanistan.
 
Biden took Doocy’s question last at the end of the presser, smirking and describing him as “the most interesting guy that I know in the press.”
 
In his answer, Biden took responsibility for "all that has happened" but then  blamed former President Donald Trump.
 
“I think they have an issue that people are [likely] to get hurt. Some, as we’ve seen, have gotten killed, and that it is messy,” Biden answered. Referring to Doocy, Biden said, “The reason why — whether my friend will acknowledge it or has reported it — the reason why there were no attacks on Americans, as you said, from the date until I came into office was because the commitment was made by President Trump, ‘I will be out by May 1. In the meantime, you agree not to attack any Americans.’ That was the deal. That’s why no American was attacked.”

YOU MIGHT LIKE THE AUTHORITARIAN MOMENT BY BEN SHAPIRO

Each day, conservatives fear if today will be the day the woke mob comes for them. In his upcoming book, Shapiro explains how the authoritarian movement came to be, how it’s taken over our most powerful institutions, and how to fight back — the right way. You aren’t the minority. Now is the time for the silence to be broken. Order your copy now. 

4. What To Do Next?

WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

With Americans still struggling to reach the airport, a bipartisan group of lawmakers called on Biden to extend his self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline to pull U.S. forces out of Afghanistan.
 
Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) secured the support of dozens of lawmakers in the House Problem Solvers Caucus to push Biden to extend the withdrawal deadline and continue evacuations.
 
“As Democrats and Republicans, we stand united in our commitment to protecting U.S. citizens, diplomats, intelligence officers, and our foreign partners who are currently attempting to flee Afghanistan. In this time of tremendous danger, politics must be put aside to advance our common goals,” the group said in a statement.
 
“From this week’s bipartisan Member briefing, it is apparent that the Administration’s set date for departure from Afghanistan on August 31st does not provide enough time to evacuate all American citizens and our partners. We respectfully call on the Administration to reconsider its timeline and provide a clear plan to Congress that will result in the completion of our shared national objectives,” it continued.

5. Maybe Just Resign?

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

A slew of other Republicans had a different suggestion for Biden: Resign. One said that the suggestion should apply to the vice president, secretary of state and top generals too. 
 
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said, “Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin and General [Mark] Milley should all resign or face impeachment and removal from office.”
 
Rep. Madison (R-NC) went further, and called on Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Biden from office following the botched withdrawal. 
 
"Our nation is at a crisis point," he wrote in a letter to Harris and the rest of the cabinet.
 
"Joe Biden’s physical inability to lead is not a political talking point – it’s a demonstrable fact," Cawthorn told Fox News on Thursday evening. "He is not mentally fit to serve as president of the United States."

6. Another Biden Blunder

Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Forces Europe-Africa via Getty Images

With the Kabul airport difficult to reach, the Biden administration reportedly gave the Taliban a list of the names of United States citizens, green card holders, and other Afghan allies that needed to be allowed through to the airport so they could be evacuated — a decision that sparked widespread outrage from officials and critics.
 
“The move, detailed to Politico by three U.S. and congressional officials, was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan as chaos erupted in Afghanistan’s capital city last week after the Taliban seized control of the country,” Politico reported. “But the decision to provide specific names to the Taliban, which has a history of brutally murdering Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. and other coalition forces during the conflict, has angered lawmakers and military officials.”
 
An unnamed Pentagon official told Politico that the Biden administration effectively “put all those Afghans on a kill list.”
 
“It’s just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean,” the official added.

7. China Disses Harris

EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

When Harris’ trip to Vietnam was delayed by three hours, China swooped in and upstaged her, offering twice as many COVID-19 vaccines as she was prepared to announce once she got there.
 
“Harris was set to announce a U.S. donation of one million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine as part of a broader effort to cultivate closer ties with Vietnam and counteract Beijing’s influence in the region,” Fox News reported.
 
“When Harris’ team experienced a three-hour delay ahead of her planned meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, China sent its own diplomat to meet with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and offer two million vaccine doses,” said Fox, citing a Washington Post report.
 
The trip to Vietnam on Tuesday was delayed because of concerns about “an anomalous health incident” in Hanoi, according to the State Department.

8. Pentagon, Pelosi Blast Two Lawmakers

John Moore/Getty Images

The Pentagon and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) ripped two U.S. lawmakers who took a secret trip to the Kabul, Afghanistan, airport on Tuesday.
 
The bipartisan pair, Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), both of whom served in Iraq, sneaked into Kabul to see firsthand how the rescue operation was going. The Pentagon said their unannounced trip hampered American evacuation efforts and forced the military to protect them while they were in the country.
 
“We were not aware of this visit and we are obviously not encouraging VIP visits to a very tense, dangerous, and dynamic situation at the airport and inside Kabul generally,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
 
“They got a chance to talk to commanders, as I understand it, to talk to troops. But to say that there wasn’t a need to flex and to alter the day’s flow, including the need to have protection for these members of Congress, that wouldn’t be a genuine thing for me to assert,” Kirby said. “There was certainly a pull-off of the kinds of the missions we were trying to do to accommodate that visit.”
 
Pelosi criticized the pair for wanting to "freelance on their own." "This is deadly serious," Pelosi said. "You do not want members to go."

Meme of the Week

Check out more on Instagram @realdailywire.

Washington Wire is a weekly email newsletter featuring the latest in political news from The Daily Wire. 

 

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Request next week’s Washington Wire here and share it with your friends.