Chris Wallace Grills Blinken on Biden’s ‘Flat Wrong’ Afghanistan Statements: ‘Does the President Not Know What’s Going On?’

Fox News’ Chris Wallace pressed Secretary of State Antony Blinken over President Joe Biden‘s “flat wrong” statements about Afghanistan.

Wallace interviewed Blinken for Fox News Sunday, and he started things off with Biden’s recent claim that Americans have not run into difficulties with the Taliban while attempting to flee Afghanistan from Kabul’s airport. Wallace then noted that the U.S. Embassy in Kabul is warning U.S. citizens of “potential security threats,” and telling them not to go to the airport “unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.”

“That alert directly contradicts what President Biden said just hours before on Friday,” Wallace said. “My question is, is that because the situation in getting to the airport, even for Americans, is more dangerous than the president indicated, or is it because of a reported new threat from ISIS?”

Blinken answered by acknowledging the “incredibly volatile situation,” though he insisted that the government is working to alleviate the chaos and keep in contact with everyone being processed for international travel. Wallace kept up the pressure though as he said Biden was “flat wrong” about al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan. The Fox host was referring to reports that the terrorist organization has a presence in at least 15 Afghan provinces.

“What the president said just wasn’t true,” Wallace said. This led to him and Blinken locking horns about the idea that al Qaeda is really “gone” from the country and whether it still poses a threat to America.

Wallace also said it was “flat wrong” for the president to state “I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world.”

“Mr. Secretary, does the president not know what’s going on?” he asked.

Blinken’s answer:

This is an incredibly emotional time for many of us and including allies and partners who have been shoulder to shoulder with us in Afghanistan for 20 years, at high cost to themselves as well as us…But I’ve got to tell you this, Chris, from the get-go, I spent more time with our NATO partners in Brussels virtually, from before the president made his decision, to when he made his decision, to every time since. We’ve been working very, very closely together.

Watch above, via Fox News Sunday.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!