Reporters rush to Biden's defense as military generals contradict the president over Afghanistan withdrawal
Gen. Mark Milley testified he originally recommended Biden maintain 2,500 troops in Afghanistan
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Several reporters rushed to President Biden's defense after top military officials suggested the president lied about the advice he received in regards to the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and head of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. During their testimony, they described the Biden administration’s role in the Afghanistan withdrawal and how they both recommended the U.S. maintain a 2,500 troop presence in Afghanistan.
However, in an August interview with ABC New, Biden was asked if his military advisers advised him to maintain 2,500 troops in Afghanistan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"No. No one said that to me that I can recall," Biden responded.
Despite being contradicted by his top generals, some reporters appeared to defend Biden's remark.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Washington Post fact-checker Glen Kessler suggested Biden was "imprecise" and was talking about whether leaving 2,500 troops in Afghanistan would have maintained stability in the country.
"Here's the rest of his answer that was snipped from this RNC clip, presumably because it suggests he was answering a question about whether advisors said the situation would stay stable with 2,500 troops," Kessler tweeted. "FWIW, Biden's answers are imprecise and it's not clear exactly what he's referencing. He could be answering the 2,500-troop question. People should watch the full clip and judge for themselves."
Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin responded to New York Times reporter Peter Baker's tweet highlighting the Biden administration's contradiction.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"George's complete question: ‘Your military advisers did not tell you, 'No, we should just keep 2,500 troops. It's been a stable situation for the last several years.’ It's the last sentence that was false and generals likely never said to Biden," she wrote.
A couple of journalists attempted to divert attention away from Biden being contradicted by his generals by referencing former President Trump and his original plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
"Contradicting Trump and supporters who say he’d have done differently or better, Milley confirms he received an order in 2020 to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan by January 2021," CNN anchor Jim Sciutto tweeted regarding the testimony.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Dáte also defended Biden tweeting, "Trump really and truly wanted to leave Biden with a complete catastrophe in Afghanistan. And he would evacuated [sic] exactly zero Afghan allies."
Critics slammed these reporters for their attempts to provide cover for Biden and his administration.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the president on Tuesday and said military advisers were "split" on whether to maintain a presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, despite the testimony from the top generals.
"Ultimately, regardless of the advice, it is his decision," Psaki said. "He is the commander in chief. He is the president. He makes the decisions about what is in the national interest, and he believed we should end the war."