Jake Tapper Grills Jake Sullivan on Further Afghanistan Evacuations: ‘How Are You Going to Get Those Americans Out?’

CNN’s Jake Tapper grilled White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan on how the United States is going to help remaining Americans and allies evacuate from Afghanistan.

There are still, according to President Joe Biden, up to 200 Americans who remain in Afghanistan even after U.S. troops officially left Monday.

Tapper brought up that issue with Sullivan and asked exactly how they’re going to help the rest of these Americans:

I’ve been told some U.S. citizens who showed up to the airport before the deadline were left standing outside the gates. They were unable to get in. How are you going to get those Americans out? And what was the reason that some citizens could not get in? Was it entirely because of terrorist threats to Hamid Karzai international airport?

Sullivan said the administration sent out messages to Americans to leave the country as early as March, and claimed, “97 percent of the people we communicated with got to the airport and got out on planes. There’s a variety of reasons for why those remaining folks didn’t.”

He reiterated the administration’s position that the U.S. has “plenty of leverage with the Taliban” to ensure safe passage of Americans.

Tapper pressed again on the specifics of how the U.S. will get Americans and legal permanent residents out.

Sullivan talked about getting them onto charter flights or getting neighboring countries to bring them in, process them, and get them back to the United States.

Tapper also asked about people who have applied for special immigrant visas. “Same exact way,” Sullivan said.

Questioned on what leverage the U.S. has over the Taliban, Sullivan alluded to “economic leverage” they hold.

You can watch above, via CNN.