Jake Sullivan Shifts Blame from Biden: Afghan Forces Did Not ‘Fight for Their Country’

President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan attempted to pin blame for the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on the failure of Afghan forces.

“The president did not think it was inevitable that the Taliban were going to take control of Afghanistan,” Sullivan said. “He thought the Afghan national security forces could step up and fight because we spent 20 years, tens of billions of dollars training them, giving them the best equipment, giving them support of U.S. forces for 20 years. And when push came to shove, they decided not to step up and fight for their country.” (emphasis added)

“When push came to shove, they decided not to step up and fight for their country.”

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan places blame for the speed of the Taliban takeover on the Afghan national security forces. https://t.co/itICE8m6fZ pic.twitter.com/FRtTWhjXkv

— ABC News (@ABC) August 16, 2021

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) slammed Sullivan for his take on the disastrous ending of the Afghan war, and said the Biden administration was, in fact, aware that Afghan forces were not prepared to fend off the Taliban.

“What a bunch of crap. This administration was specifically told Afghan forces would surrender faster than our ability to exit. They decided to ignore these warnings & smugly tell everyone how smart & brilliant they are,” Rubio tweeted Monday.

What a bunch of crap

This administration was specifically told Afghan forces would surrender faster than our ability to exit.

They decided to ignore these warnings & smugly tell everyone how smart & brilliant they are https://t.co/ie4nMG1GIX

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 16, 2021

Sullivan, who is infamous for entering into negotiations with Iran, participating in Hilary Clinton’s email scandal, and falsely accusing former NSA Michael Flynn of collusion with the Russian government, “would not say that the takeover took the administration by surprise but did acknowledge it ‘certainly unfolded at an unexpected speed,”‘ ABC News reported. 

On Sunday, local media began reporting that the Afghan government was handing the country over to the Taliban, which ruled the country before the U.S. invasion in 2001. The terrorist group allegedly seized at least 85 percent of the country between May 1 and this month.

More recently, the Taliban reportedly appropriated U.S. military equipment left behind by Afghan soldiers. The Taliban’s jihadi leaders have ties to al-Qaeda, the international jihadist organization responsible for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that prompted the American invasion.

After two decades and more than 2,500 U.S. soldiers killed, former President Donald Trump agreed to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021, in a negotiation with the Taliban. In exchange, the Taliban agreed to not attack U.S. troops and to cut ties with al-Qaeda and other international terrorist groups.

Biden announced in April he would not abide by the agreement and extended the Afghan war by four months, making the new withdrawal date the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. He then revised the date, announcing American military presence would end on August 31.

Biden was mostly quiet about Afghanistan’s fall over the weekend while he continued his summer vacation at Camp David — apart from a statement issued Saturday blaming former President Trump. Biden is expected to return on Monday and hold a briefing at 3:45 p.m. ET.