House Judiciary GOP: Media Must Ask Biden How Many Americans Will Be Left in Afghanistan

Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden listens to a question as he speaks to the pres
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

House Judiciary Republicans are calling on members of the media to demand answers from President Biden, questioning if his administration believes Americans will be left behind in Afghanistan as the Taliban-approved August 31 deadline for U.S. withdrawal approaches.

House Judiciary GOP said:

Every media outlet should ask Joe Biden this yes or no question:

Will Americans be left behind in Afghanistan after the August 31st deadline?

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Monday that 5,400 Americans have been evacuated from Afghanistan and that there is “still time” for more evacuations as the deadline swiftly approaches. That is the same figure the Pentagon offered two days ago, on Saturday. At the time, the Pentagon said 117,000 people have been evacuated from Kabul, but that only included 5,400 Americans.

In this Aug. 20, 2021, photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, a Marine assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit carries a girl at a gate to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. (1st Lt. Mark Andries/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

In this Aug. 20, 2021, photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, a Marine assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit carries a girl at a gate to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan (1st Lt. Mark Andries/U.S. Marine Corps via AP).

During a briefing on August 17, however, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there were “around 11,000” American citizens stranded in the country. If her figure is correct, that would mean thousands of Americans are still stranded as the deadline looms.

“We are — there have been — how the process works, I should say — I’ll tell you — is that there are individuals who will self-identify as American citizens — that number is around 11,000,” Psaki said at the time.

“Beyond that — around the country — beyond that, though, there are individuals who may not have self-identified, who may come and request assistance and come to the airport,” she added.

However, last Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken (D) offered another figure and said there were as many as 1,500 Americans still stranded in Afghanistan.

A Rasmussen Reports survey released Monday found a majority of U.S. voters expressing the belief that Americans will be left behind after the August 31 deadline. Only eight percent believe no Americans will be left behind.

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