Jake Sullivan Disputes ‘Irresponsible and Unfounded’ Report That U.S. Gave Taliban a List of Afghan Evacuees

White House National Security advisor Jake Sullivan pushed back on CNN’s Jake Tapper over reports that the U.S. gave the Taliban the names of Americans and U.S. Afghan allies trying to flee Afghanistan.

Sullivan spoke with Tapper on Sunday for State of the Union about the Biden administration’s latest efforts on the situation in Afghanistan as the August 31st withdrawal deadline approaches. During the interview, Tapper brought up reports that the U.S. government gave the Taliban a list of Americans or Afghan special immigrant visa applicants trying to get into Hamid Karzai International Airport.

“I understand the U.S. has relied upon the Taliban for this evacuation process,” Tapper said, “but with all due respect, a lot of these Afghan SIVs, as you know better than I, they think the Taliban is going to kill them, and you’ve given them a list of their names.”

“We’ve actually aggressively and decisively disputed that report,” Sullivan responded. He further called the reports “unfounded and inaccurate” even as he spoke about how the U.S. has been working with the Taliban to move groups of evacuees through checkpoints and into the airport.

Sullivan’s denial of the report comes after State Department spokesman Ned Price also said reports of the Taliban receiving a list of names was false. However, Tapper continued pressing Sullivan to clarify his denial.

“I have just laid out for you the process that we have used, which is to have groups of people move to locations that we have identified, to work with the Taliban to get them through those locations and to the airport,” Sullivan said. “The idea of what you just quoted from a Pentagon official is flat out not correct. There is no such ‘kill list.’ That is nonsense. It is irresponsible and unfounded reporting.”

Watch above, via CNN.