As more chaos unfolds in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden delayed speaking in front of a camera to the American people on the situation there, where thousands of Americans are being stranded. Other agencies canceled their briefings as well.
Biden was originally scheduled to speak at noon. The speech was delayed until 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and again until 4:30 p.m.
Notice that the speech would be delayed wasn’t given to reporters until 2:53 p.m., following nearly three hours of delay. The White House press pool was sent an email claiming Biden would now be speaking at 4:30 p.m. He missed that deadline as well.
In the scramble of the day, the press pool was told that White House press secretary Jen Psaki will be giving her press briefing at 3:30 p.m Even the press briefing was pushed back by 15 minutes.
Then the Department of Defense canceled their briefing that was scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Reportedly, it was postponed for a “future date.”
DOD press briefing at 3pm has been postponed to "future date"
— Carla Babb (@CarlaBabbVOA) August 24, 2021
However, it was reported that that the U.S. military is continuing to draw down the troops in Afghanistan:
Defense officials confirmed to Breitbart News that the Pentagon has withdrawn some troops from Afghanistan who were scheduled to be withdrawn by President Joe Biden’s deadline of August 31, but said that the units that were surged to the region to assist in the evacuation are still in the country as of now.
FILE – In this July 5, 2021 file photo, vehicles are parked at Bagram Airfield after the American military left the base, in Parwan province north of Kabul, Afghanistan. The US and NATO have promised to pay $4 billion a year until 2024 to finance Afghanistan’s military and security forces, which are struggling to contain an advancing Taliban. Already since 2001, the U.S. has spent nearly $89 billion to build, equip and train the forces, including nearly $10 billion for vehicles and aircraft. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)
The Department of State canceled their briefing as well.
This afternoon's @StateDept briefing has been cancelled.
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) August 24, 2021
During a press conference Monday, President Joe Biden only spoke about the Chinese coronavirus vaccine. He walked away and retreated when he was done speaking while reporters asked him questions about the thousands of Americans still stranded in Afghanistan.
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 16: U.S. President Joe Biden walks away without taking questions after delivering remarks on the worsening crisis in Afghanistan from the East Room of the White House August 16, 2021 in Washington, DC. Biden cut his vacation in Camp David short to address the nation as the Taliban have seized control in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. is set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
There are still reportedly thousands of Americans left in Afghanistan while the president and other departments have gone silent, as of Tuesday afternoon. Government officials from the White House, Pentagon, and State Department have still been hesitant to relay any information on confirmed numbers to the general public.
As of Saturday, a report showed that 3,376 U.S. citizens have been airlifted out of Kabul, Afghanistan, according to internal government documents.
On Monday night, House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) spoke to reporters after leaving a briefing on Afghanistan for House members and said evacuations would likely have to extend past the August 31 deadline.
He said it is “very unlikely” evacuations will be finished by the deadline due to the overwhelming number of Americans, Afghan allies, and potential refugees currently stranded.
Follow Jacob Bliss on Twitter @jacobmbliss.
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