Senior Biden Admin. Official Posts, Then Deletes, Tweet Lamenting US Being ‘Powerless to Protect’ Afghan Women

A senior Biden State Department official posted, then deleted, a tweet on Friday lamenting that the United States is “powerless to protect” Afghan women.

“Woke up with a heavy heart, thinking about all the Afghan women and girls I worked with during my time in Kabul. They were the beneficiaries of many of the gains we made, and now they stand to lose everything. We empowered them to lead, and now we are powerless to protect them,” tweeted Molly Montgomery, a deputy assistant secretary in the department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

Axios national political correspondent Jonathan Swan shared a screenshot of the now-deleted tweet and added, “This deleted tweet from a senior Biden State Department official captures the private feelings of many others.”

This deleted tweet from a senior Biden State Department official captures the private feelings of many others. pic.twitter.com/uoeEukSerh

— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) August 13, 2021

A State Department spokesperson told Mediaite that Montgomery “deleted the tweet on her own volition.”

Verified Twitter users shared Swan’s tweet and bashed the Biden administration over its policy in Afghanistan, where all U.S. troops are withdrawing from the country by Aug. 31 after almost 20 years of war there following 9/11.

One of the criticisms of the withdrawal is the undoing of progress the United States has made in improving the lives of Afghan girls. On Thursday, the United States announced it is sending 3,000 troops to Kabul to help evacuate U.S. Embassy personnel and other Americans.

It’s a sad reminder that you can’t expect others to fight for your freedoms. If you won’t, no one else will. https://t.co/tEq4RA6FOk

— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) August 13, 2021

Why delete the tweet? https://t.co/5zcaSALhLb

— Jason Hopkins (@thejasonhopkins) August 13, 2021

An admirably honest tweet on Afghanistan from a Biden State Department official.

Which has now been deleted. https://t.co/la9aaxgXG1

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) August 13, 2021

Prime Minister Klain is gonna be super pissed when he sees this. https://t.co/71jGGbK44A

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) August 13, 2021

Why did she delete the tweet? https://t.co/suvdBB30ev

— Andrew Wagner (@andrewwagner) August 13, 2021

On the one hand, it’s bizarre to delete this, a minimal expression of sympathy for the people #Biden has condemned to death and terror. But on the other, from a PR perspective, one can see why: it’s an admission of guilt – and of the fact that they *can* stop this, even now. https://t.co/jnALNm9aGA

— Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) August 13, 2021

Check this out… some unfiltered honesty from a Senior Biden State Dept.

Even the leaders on his team recognize his failures. https://t.co/ItKlnEO7J8

— Christian Ziegler ?? (@ChrisMZiegler) August 13, 2021

The “private feelings” of government officials that led to this clusterfuck is the least of my concerns, tbh. (but there’ll be a Hollywood movie about them next year I’m sure.?)
What I am however genuinely curious about is – why did Ms. @MollyMontgomery delete her tweet? https://t.co/dU4ixpfCUp

— Mohamed El Dahshan (@eldahshan) August 13, 2021

What’s going on in Afghanistan right now is a tragedy.

But some things need to be decoupled.

The failure to get visas for translators/US contractors is a Trump & Biden failure.

The failure of the Afghan army to contain the Taliban is the entire war’s failure. https://t.co/aAFRsuSwlK

— Abraham Gutman ? אברהם גוטמן (@abgutman) August 13, 2021

Biden’s biggest mistake yet. https://t.co/WaKHBBOor4

— Peter Staley (@peterstaley) August 13, 2021