CNN Correspondent in Kabul Calls Out Biden NatSec Adviser for ‘Nonsense’ Statement About Evacuation

CNN correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, reporting live from Kabul, called out White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan for his comments about evacuations in Afghanistan.

Sullivan was grilled on the Today Show by Savannah Guthrie over Afghanistan falling to the Taliban so quickly. Guthrie showed a clip of President Joe Biden literally saying weeks ago, “There’s going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of a embassy of the United States from Afghanistan.”

Sullivan started his response by saying, “To be fair, the helicopter has been the mode of transport from our embassy to the airport for the last 20 years.”

Hours later, Walsh talked on CNN about what people will be anticipating from the president’s address.

“I think it has to essentially be an explanation,” he said. “Everybody knew there was going to be likely a very fast Taliban move. No one thought it would be this fast, once Joe Biden said he would unconditionally withdraw.”

As he talked about the “American failure” in Afghanistan, Walsh made a point of addressing Sullivan’s comments, which CNN played earlier in the hour:

I heard an earlier guest talking about how mode of transport to the airport had always been the helicopter. That’s just nonsense. That only came into effect when security deteriorated inside of capital.

You can watch above, via CNN.