Reporter Confronts State Dept. Spox Over Constant Ambiguous Updates: ‘You’ve Been Reading Statements for Days’

Fox News State Department correspondent Rich Edson confronted State Department spokesperson Ned Price about the difference between “reading statements” regarding the situation in Afghanistan and things that change “conditions on the ground.”

In response to a question about women in Afghanistan, Price said, “Women’s rights are human rights,” a famous statement by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“For us, that is absolutely vital. I should say it is not just us. This is the broad international community speaking with one voice,” said Price. “We’ve talked and you probably don’t want to hear me talk anymore about the U.N. Security Council press statement that was issued just recently by members of the Security Council including our closest allies but also countries with whom we share very little else including Russia and China.”

“But let me just spend a moment on other data points,” continued Price, who mentioned “the foreign affairs ministers of the EU” just before Edson interjected with “Ned, is any of this changing conditions on the ground at all? You’ve been reading statements for days here.”

“Rich, Rich, this is all part in parcel of our efforts to forge conditions on the ground. To help shape conditions on the ground,” said Price. “Importantly, to send a very clear signal to the Taliban that their behavior, that their actions will have concrete consequences. We can say that. Our partners, our like-minded partners can say that. But when the rest of the world says that, it does send a very important message, so yes, this is critically important.”

Price went on to lecture that, in terms of issuing statements, “This is what the State Department does. This is what in any number of contexts has helped to moderate the behavior of governments, regimes, forces, the rest of the world over.”

“It’s about more than recognition. It’s about more than legitimacy. It is a matter of support. It’s a matter of carrots. It’s a matter of that assistance,” he continued. “But it’s also a matter of accountability, and it is making clear to a group like the Taliban that they will be held accountable in meaningful and profound ways should they not do so.”

Watch above, via CSPAN.