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White House Press Briefing; State Department Press Briefing. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired August 27, 2021 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: At a March 9 briefing, you only described one biting incident to us and the dogs as whisked back to Delaware on a prepared trip to visit friends.
It is significant because we expect accurate information even on minor stories. Can you explain the inaccuracy?
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I know you do keep the dog in the news in the briefing room. Thank you for that.
As we have stated previously, Major had challenges adjusting to life in the White House. He has been receiving additional training and spending time in Delaware where the environment is more familiar to him. I don't have additional specifics.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Unfortunately, these evacuations are happening in a pandemic. Can you tell us about are these -- I believe there's a quarantine but are they vaccinated? The less than 5 percent of the population is vaccinated.
PSAKI: Sure. Let's give you an update on this.
There was a story out on this earlier today. I can give you more detail. I can tell you basically that individuals who come into the United States are offered a vaccine.
For those who are coming in on the condition -- on parole, as parolees it is required, a condition of their parole to the United States.
But we have made this available at Dulles and continue to look for ways to expand access to the vaccine to other places where individuals land to provide it as quickly as possible on landing.
In terms of steps we're taking, everyone is tested upon arrival and steps are taken if individuals test positive to quarantine them. American citizens are asked to quarantine. That would be something they would do on their own.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The president pledged to hunt down the people responsible for this attack. How do you prevent that from becoming an open-ended mission much like the targeting of terrorist groups in Afghanistan?
PSAKI: I think the military and the national security team that serves the president has enormous abilities and capacities and pursuing the range of missions at the same time.
The one in Afghanistan is front and center in the news right now. But we are consistently looking and tracking down and hunting terrorists around the world where they are.
This is a part of that effort. That will be ongoing.
And a reason to remind you all that the president made the decision to bring our men and women home is because the threat metastasized.
This goes to the earlier question, without a military presence on the ground or a presence, a diplomatic presence on the ground, but we are still tracking counterterrorism threats. Libya, Yemen are two examples of that. So that will continue.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do ISIS-K want to or have the capability to attack Americans domestically in the United States or just in Afghanistan?
PSAKI: No. That's not an assessment we have made at this time.
Go ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
PSAKI: Is today your last day?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes, it is.
PSAKI: Thank you for your services in the media.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Decided there's too many Steves in the briefing room.
(LAUGHTER)
PSAKI: There are a lot of Steves. I'll look into that.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: To ensure Iran never develops a nuclear weapon, President Biden told the Israeli prime minister today, quote, "We are putting diplomacy first and seeing where that takes us, but if diplomacy fails we are ready to turn to other options."
Can you detail for us what are those other options?
PSAKI: Any president has a range of options at the disposal. I won't outline those from here.
But the first preference and priority focus is on the diplomatic path and pursuing that path forward. That's where the energies lie at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Congress -- (INAUDIBLE) -- back to deal with the eviction issue?
PSAKI: That would be up to the speaker and leaders in Congress to determine. Certainly he would support and be happy to sign and love to sign legislation into law.
But there are ways to achieve the same objective. And what we're pressing on and we have the power to implement from the federal government.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Friday usually give us a week ahead.
PSAKI: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you have the details for the president?
PSAKI: Maybe I skipped that. Thank you, Karen.
Hold on. I didn't mean to do that. One second. Oh, yes. Apologies.
Thank you for the prompt.
Every day -- some details will be finalized of the coming days. As you can expect, it's fluid.
But every day, this weekend and next week, the president will continue to meet with the national security team to discuss intelligence, security and updates on the situation in Afghanistan.
[14:35:04]
And as I noted at the top, also receiving regular updates on the hurricane and provide them to you as they happen.
Next week, the president will also welcome President Zelenski of the Ukraine to the White House. The visit on the United States's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's ongoing aggression in Donbass and Crimea.
Our close cooperation on energy security and our backing for president's efforts to tackle corruption and implement a reform agenda based on our shared democratic values.
On Friday, he'll deliver remarks on the July jobs report and the progress made by his administration to build the economy back better.
As we have more details we'll provide them to you.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you, Jen.
PSAKI: Oh, it is the Friday? Yes. It's been a while.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you.
Two follow ups here. I wanted to return to the binary continuing forever war that both Republican and Democrat administrations opposed. The polling of the country show opposed and then the withdrawal and the idea that no matter what, that that's going to be messy.
Given the events of the past two weeks, does the president feel that U.S. military personnel were put in the best position to carry out the mission on the ground?
PSAKI: I would say, first, that anything the U.S. military has asked for as they're working to complete the mission is granted. They would confirm that as well.
And the president asks them that at the end of every meeting.
I would also note something that was said yesterday at the Department of Defense briefing, which is that they know -- this is why the men and women of the military are amazing and incredible.
They know they are putting themselves in harm's way on missions like these and put together plans that have force protection front and center.
But when dealing with a real threat from ISIS-K, you know, of course, events like yesterday unfortunately happen.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yesterday, the president said that he made the assessment after talking to his military advisers that Bagram Air Base is not much of a value.
General Milley earlier in August said, quote, "If we were to keep both Bagram and the embassy going, that's a significant number of military forces to exceed what we had."
With that decision about leaving that air base because it wasn't a value add or require sending more troops over there?
PSAKI: Bagram was an enormous base and made it -- also a significant distance from Kabul. Significant is all relative. But farther from Kabul and required a presence to protect and not in a place as effective to evacuate people in Kabul.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The president said yesterday, quote, "We have greater threats coming from other countries a heck of a lot closer to the United States."
Is there anything to tell us a little bit. What countries he was referring to in particular as a host to Afghanistan? It is an alarming statement. PSAKI: I don't -- I think he was intending to convey what he's
conveyed many times about the metastasizing threat from a range of terrorist organizations with greater capacities around the world and need to keep the eye focused on those as a root reason why he brought our men and women home.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The administration have a guarantee from the Taliban not to harm Americans who choose to stay behind in Afghanistan?
PSAKI: That is certainly the expectation, yes. We're working through.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Jen, a follow up on Phil's question. But a source sitting here said to me that the Taliban is preparing to take over the airport by early as Saturday and might be infiltration by the military.
Has the president moved up the August 31 withdrawal even unofficially?
PSAKI: No. The Department of Defense gave an operational update two hours ago on the process. I have not seen the reporting and happy to talk to them after. Nothing changed.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A follow up. You said it's easy to be a critic from the outside. But some members of the Marine Corps have taken to social media and are criticizing not the president but top generals for failing to be accountable for a strategy they say cost lives.
[14:39:57]
For example, we've just been talking about Bagram, the closing of that no longer had the high trauma capabilities to deal with the horrific injuries and that the airport ill equipped. A surgery is medevac'd to Germany.
Was this a miscalculation on the part of the generals? With regard to the president he said he was listening to his generals.
With regard to the president, he said he was listening to his generals. Two questions really quickly on that. Does he believe he was given bad advice? Will he ask for recognize ideas of the generals given the high cost?
PSAKI: No to both questions. I think that what the president looks at, the events of yesterday as, is a tragedy, and one felt viscerally by the leaders of the military.
Losing members of your men and women working for you from the service branches is devastating, for the president, for the leaders of the military. As many times as it's happened.
And it is a reflection on all of them and the people on the ground continuing to implement this mission even under difficult and risky circumstances.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A follow up. Republican lawmakers targeted Secretary of State Blinken. Does the president still have confidence in secretary of state? What is the response to the articles of impeachment?
PSAKI: Yes, he does. I have no response where we honor the lives of men and women lost in the military yesterday.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: One on Afghanistan and bilateral. Do you have any updates as the rest of those people, Americans you were saying you were still trying to contact? Has there been any progress on that front?
PSAKI: I gave an update earlier and received that just over the day evacuated more than 300 additional Americans, people working to engage with and contact with. Particularly 500 American citizens working with to leave and facilitating the evacuation.
That's the update from the State Department. They may have more details given they have been overseeing the constant contact and did another round over the course of yesterday.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: On the bilateral, the president said that he was still right now focused on the diplomacy of the Iran nuclear deal. How long is he willing to fight for that diplomatic path? When is he going to feel like it's done and moving to other options?
PSAKI: I'm not going to give an end date on that, given it's the best option and the preferred option in the situation because the prior administration pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and prevented the visible into the capabilities.
And that is why we're going to continue to pursue it and don't have an end date or end timeline.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you.
Interesting interview to "The New York Times" today. Looking like -- wondering if the White House made any preparations for a potential Supreme Court justice opening.
PSAKI: It is up to any sitting Supreme Court justice to make a determination about how long they'll stay.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Has the president reached out to governor of lack of rental assistance aid that's gone out in the states? I wonder if the president reached out to urge them to get the aid out.
PSAKI: We have a number of members of the cabinet engaged with governors how to get the aid out and steps taken to cut the red tape and make it easier is a result in part of the discussions on what can make it easier to get the money out.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: About the relation to the Taliban, looking forward, so the U.S. obviously has ongoing asks of the Taliban like cooperation on helping to get future people out.
PSAKI: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And presumably looking for Islamic State. What are the Taliban asking in return? Are they asking for resignation? For an embassy to be put back there? What's their kind of big ask?
PSAKI: There's no rush to recognition of any sort by the United States or any international partners we have talked to.
I am, as I said in the past, blissfully not a spokesperson for the Taliban and ask you to ask them what they want.
Go ahead in the back.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you.
You talked about COVID screenings for evacuees. Do you have any information of what the positivity rate is?
Can you say how many times are these evacuees tested? You said in Kabul. Are they tested again arriving in --
(CROSSTALK)
PSAKI: When they arrive here.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you have the positivity rate?
PSAKI: I don't have it. I'll see if the Department of Homeland Security has it.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: One more on the vaccines donated --
(CROSSTALK)
[14:45:06]
PSAKI: Individuals who test positive are quarantined and separated so that is how that is handled.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: OK. Can I ask about the U.S. donated over three million COVID vaccines to Afghanistan? The U.N. put out a report this week saying the number of vaccinations in Afghanistan significantly dropped since the Taliban takeover.
Does the White House or government have an indication of what happened to the vaccines? Are they in the hand of the Taliban and being distributed or is there a concern that the Taliban might try to sell those doses?
PSAKI: We have not worked with the Taliban as the government. Right? And a lot of these assistance is distributed through those that work through COVAX.
I would have to check the mechanisms and careful and focused on vaccines not getting into the right hands and for countries we work with and an issue with Cuba. Right?
We need mechanisms to ensure to get out to the populations that need to get access to the vaccines.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I would like to ask you, there's link between Taliban and ISIS? Because the Taliban release from the president from the jail. Based off U.S. Taliban agreement.
Now, Afghan people more worried the Taliban and ISIS-K. They are threatened. Will be OK. So they're friend with the al Qaeda, too. Which they didn't keep the commitment.
If not, do you think that it's going to be started again? Another civil war in Afghanistan. I don't understand. Taliban and ISIS. They are friend or enemy?
PSAKI: I think there's clear historic evidence that they have been enemies in the past.
I don't have any assessment beyond what we have said over the last few days about the fact that we have no information to suggest that the Taliban had knowledge of or engagement in the ISIS-K attack.
Beyond that, we have available what I can speak to is historic precedent.
(CROSSTALK)
PSAKI: Oh, yes.
Hello. We haven't done this in a while. But this is Blake Patterson. Thank you for joining us, Blake. From "The Advocate" in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
How can we help you, Blake?
BLAKE PATTERSON, REPORTER, "THE ADVOCATE": Louisiana is on the doorstep of Hurricane Ida. Hurricane Laura devastated Lake Charles in southwest Louisiana.
President Biden promised that help is on the way and the region did not receive a penny in disaster relief.
What can you say to the people of Louisiana for how much longer to wait for President Biden and Congress to act? And with this latest storm coming, why should Louisianans trust that
the Biden administration will be there to back them up if it's just as devastating?
PSAKI: I can tell you that the president is incredibly focused on Hurricane Ida and the fact that it is approaching your community and your state later this weekend.
I think we are going to announce this shortly but I'll tell you we're sending 50 FEMA paramedics with medical care statewide.
Ambulances operated by medical service providers, supporting patient statewide to decompress load. 250 personnel across the state and 20 V.A. hospital beds.
We have been working to provide direct assistance and get ahead of the storm.
We are prepositioning personnel and resources including food, water and generators to respond to what could be a dangerous hurricane hitting the region over the course of the next day.
Yesterday, the FEMA administration was down in the region and the president will speak with the governor this afternoon.
In terms of supplemental funding for the hurricane from last year, I have to check on that and the hold-ups.
Thank you for joining us and your patience. Appreciate it.
Thanks, everyone. We'll see you on Monday.
(CROSSTALK)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: About an hour from the White House there.
Welcome to NEWSROOM." We have viewers with us from around the world this hour. I'm Victor Blackwell.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: I'm Alisyn Camerota.
You've been listening to the press conference where press secretary, Jen Psaki, said the U.S. remains committed to the mission in Afghanistan until the job is done. Whatever that means.
But the urgency is growing. The president's national security team warns that another terror attack in Kabul is likely as the mission enters the, quote, "most dangerous period."
The U.S. Marines confirm 11 of their own died on Thursday when that suicide bomb tore through the crowd outside. A Navy sailor and U.S. Army member were killed. And 170 Afghans also killed.
[14:50:12]
Flags are at half-staff at the White House and the capitol in tribute to those killed.
At the White House this afternoon, President Biden spoke about the bravery of the U.S. troops who gave their lives trying to save others.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Losing a son, daughter, a husband, a wife is like being sucked into a big black hole in the middle of your chest and you think there's no way out.
The mission they perform is dangerous. And it's now come with significant loss of American personnel. But it was a worthy mission.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: As the U.S. presses on with that mission to evacuate Americans and their allies from Afghanistan, we're told that security has been increased at the Kabul airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Afghan and foreign forces set off flash bangs outside of the airport perimeter to reduce the crowds risking their lives to gather.
We're waiting briefing from the State Department. You can expect some clarity on the numbers of Americans still in Afghanistan.
Joining us now, CNN senior international correspondent, Sam Kiley, in Doha, Qatar, and Pentagon correspondent, Oren Liebermann.
Oren, let me start with you.
What do we know about those servicemembers who were killed? I'm sure the names have not been released.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: We learned over the course of the past 24 hours, 11 Marines, a sailor and a soldier. A tough day not only for the entire Pentagon and the country but those branches of the armed forces.
You're right. The military will not release their I.D. until 24 hours after notification of the next of kin. That's simply a process they have always followed and to give them time to mourn before the names are put out there.
There's still thousands of troops and the mission remains on the evacuation.
The decision to destroy or carry out some of the equipment on the ground there. That process has to begin.
We're a few days to end of this with more Americans out, more Afghans out. It's a critical period.
One the White House has acknowledged is the period of all of this, as the U.S. begins to wind down its forces and gets ready to begin to wind down its forces, security becomes even more critical in environment. You've seen how dangerous it can be.
CAMEROTA: Sam, on that note, I know U.S. officials don't want to give details, operational details for security reasons.
Do we know what's changed over the past 24 hours since they still have this intel that says another terror attack is likely?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We know the Taliban has been asked to. And judging by the information we're getting from our CNN colleague, Afghans on the ground, it would appear the Taliban has reenforced its checkpoints.
And is also trying to block vehicles because there may be intelligence of a vehicle-born IED, car bomb.
And we also know that the numbers of Americans now down to about 500 that may or may not be trying to get out through the airport.
And they will be retrieved in probably covert operations involving the U.S. and quite probably, almost certainly, need Taliban cooperation to avoid these.
The threat is very real. There's intelligence agencies from other countries too.
The issue really is, how do you get the last of these evacuees out that the security will have to transition to the Taliban or organizations agreed with the Taliban.
The Taliban today reached out to the Turkish government in a meeting for three and half hours in the airport itself during which the Taliban asked the Turks if they would run the airport on their behalf at least in the short term.
[14:55:02]
President Erdogan said he's considering that application but that the Turkish forces have actually already been withdrawn. So it wouldn't necessarily be a security operation but a technical operation.
All of the air traffic controllers and most of the other --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: Sam, I'm sorry to interrupt you.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: We're going -- we need to go to State Department right now. This is Ned Price giving a briefing. NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: -- yesterday. This is the
sentiment we heard from the secretary but one that bears repeating. The American you see upon entering and the last upon exit is a U.S. Marine.
There's one group he always meets with and that's the Marine security guards. They are a constant.
It was wrenching for every single American but it was especially acutely felt by many people here.
The deaths of these servicemembers as well as the tragic loss of life on the part of so many Afghans seeking nothing more than security and opportunity is something on the hearts and minds of everyone here.
It was dark day but our servicemembers alongside our diplomatic personnel have been back at it again today.
They're guarding the facility in Kabul. They are facilitating the most noble of missions. That is the effort to bring to safety American citizens as well as our Afghan and international partners.
That mission will not be deter deterred because of all of those on the ground and no small part due to our U.S. military partners.
I'll now turn to today and to our ongoing evacuation efforts. As you've heard, from 3:00 a.m. Eastern on August 26th until 3:00 a.m. Eastern on August 27th, a total of 12,500 people were evacuated in Kabul.
This is the result of 35 U.S. military planes which carried approximately 8500 evacuees and 54 coalition flights, which carried 4,000 people.
Since August 14th, the U.S. has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of 105,000 people. Since the end of July, we have relocated approximately 110,600 people.
Of those evacuated since August 14th, we have brought the safety at least 5,100 U.S. citizens and likely more. Within the last day, more than 300 additional Americans were evacuated.
There are 500 American citizens we're currently working with who want to leave and with whom we are communicating directly to facilitate their evacuations.
That consists of multiple out-bound messages per day by phone, by text message, by e-mail and other tools we're commune indicating with several hundred American citizens who have not yet determined whether they want to leave for various reasons.
Last night, alone, we reached out to every American who we believe may be in Afghanistan and attempting to leave. In many cases, we did this again multiple times by phone, by e-mail, by text.
We continue to reach out to anyone who makes contact to us with multiple means that's included tens of thousands of calls and texts.
Finally, before I take your questions, let me give you an update on the evacuation of our locally employed staff.
We absolutely, as we have said, have a responsibility to these individuals who have worked with our colleagues on the ground in Kabul and we are grateful for their commitments and dedication to the United States.
[14:59:54]
I can now confirm that the vast majority of our employed staff and their immediate family members have been evacuated or currently on the grounds of the Hamid Karsai International Airport.
We are actively working to evacuate remaining staff. And we have been in direct contact with them.
