‘I Am Rejecting Them’: Biden Tells Lester Holt Army Report’s Conclusions on Afghanistan Are Wrong

President Joe Biden told NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt that he rejects the conclusions in a new U.S. army report on the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden sat for an exclusive interview with Holt on Thursday, which will air on Super Bowl Sunday. About 8 minutes of the 22 were released ahead of time, covering a range of topics that included an exchange on the recent U.S. Army report on the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden defended the withdrawal, and categorically rejected the report’s conclusions:

HOLT: On the subject of American citizens, I have to draw your attention to that Army report, an investigative report that’s come out about the lead up to the withdrawal from Afghanistan. It interviewed many military officials and officers, who said the administration ignored the handwriting on the wall. Another describe trying to get folks in the embassy ready to evacuate, encountering people who are in essentially in denial of the situation. Does any of that ring true to you?

BIDEN: No. No. That’s not what I was told.

HOLT: That you were told that the U.S. administration officials were prepared. They knew it was time to get out?

BIDEN: No, what I was told. No one told me that — look, there was no good time to get out. If we had not gotten out, they acknowledged that we would have had to put a hell of a lot more troops back in. It wasn’t just 2000, 4000. We would have to significantly increase the number of troops and we’re back in this this war of attrition and, and there was no way we were ever going to unite Ukraine, I mean, excuse me, Iraq–Afghanistan. No way that was going to happen. And so this is a much wiser thing to do.

HOLT: I just want to clarify, are you rejecting the conclusions or the accounts that are in this army report?

BIDEN: Yes I am.

HOLT: They are not true?

BIDEN: I am rejecting them.

Watch above via NBC News.