Nearly three years after one of the most controversial incidents within President Joe Biden’s presidential term, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has agreed to a sit-down interview to discuss the August 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. On August 30th, 2021, The United States Armed Forces completed their exit from Afghanistan, after being stationed there since 2001. The incident led to a severe amount of backlash against the Biden administration due to soldiers being left behind in the Middle Eastern country as well as the large number of military supplies and vehicles that had also been left behind.
Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is currently investigating the 2021 U.S. exit. Former White House Press Secretary under the Biden administration Jen Psaki had previously been in a back and forth with the committee over an interview on the matter but has now decided to agree to sit down and talk about the incident. Recently, the House Committee’s chairman Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas has stated that the committee plans to release and publish its report on President Biden’s “disastrous” exit from Afghanistan by the upcoming November election.
McCaul had initially requested an interview from Psaki back in September of 2023 but was met with strong resistance from the former WHPS. It is speculated that the committee is attempting to show the differences between what Psaki had said to Americans in the past and what information the Biden administration had at the time of the exit. Axios news outlet news of the collapse of Afghanistan within days, which left thousands trapped in the rubble of the city of Kabul. Amongst those thousands were 13 American troops who tragically lost their lives.
On June 5th, McCaul sent a letter to Psaki’s legal team alerting them that Psaki had already released her knowledge on the U.S. exit and used the information for her own personal and public gain.