Biden-Harris admin’s national security adviser says ‘no use in responding’ to ‘handful of vets’ critical of botched Afghanistan withdrawal

Kirby told Fox News in response to a press inquiry after clicking “reply all” on an email chain to White House staffers that included the outlet, "Obviously no use in responding. A ‘handful’ of vets indeed and all of one stripe."

The email appeared to be addressing an earlier inquiry from the outlet Wednesday afternoon regarding comments from four veterans, including Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), an Army veteran, who slammed Kirby for his Monday press conference that they claimed provided "cover" for the Biden-Harris administration's botched withdrawal in 2021.

Kirby later told Fox News, "Clearly, I didn’t realize you were on the chain," while he was traveling with Biden and Harris on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11.

The veterans' comments accused Kirby of "deflecting" from the Biden-Harris administration's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 following new revelations faulting Biden for many aspects of the disastrous withdrawal, including failing to adequately respond to terror threats ahead of the bombing at Abbey Gate that killed 13 US service members and over 150 Afghan civilians and for leaving the Taliban with access to $7 billion in abandoned US weaponry.

Mills told Fox News, "The bottom line is that the Biden-Harris administration chose politics over strategy, and Kirby, who I wouldn’t trust to guard my grocery list, is now trying to cover for them.”

On Monday during his presser, Kirby claimed the report "says little or nothing new," and blamed former President Trump for mandating “a complete US withdrawal from Afghanistan" in a deal with the Taliban. "President Biden, for his part, faced a stark choice when he came to office: Abide by the flawed agreement and end America’s longest war, or blow up the deal, extend the war, and see a much smaller contingent of American troops back in combat with the Taliban. He chose the former and was able to buy additional time to prepare for that withdrawal all the way into summer, and we, as a nation, are safer for it."

Mills told Fox News in response, "Once again, John Kirby is deflecting from the Biden-Harris administration's failed foreign policies. If they were truly transparent, why did HFAC have fun threatening contempt of Congress for Secretary Blinken for intentionally withholding DoS dissent cables from 23 U.S. Embassy diplomats warning that the administration's strategy would allow the Taliban to advance and lead to the collapse of the Afghan government and American lives to be lost?"

Mills added, "They knew this and tried to cover it up. This wasn’t ignorance, it was intentional and putting political optics above strategy/safety with a complete lack of transparency. This administration knew exactly what they were doing, tried to cover it up, and got caught. Worse, their actions cost the lives of 13 American service members and severely damaged our credibility with allies. It welcomed aggression from adversaries and showed weakness geopolitically.”

Family members of the deceased soldiers have said that neither Biden nor Harris have ever personally reached out to them.