Politico recently reported that many White House aides often are “filled with anxiety” when our gaffe-prone president gets behind a mic, or faces reporters – even the friendly ones that the mysterious “they,” as President Joe Biden often refers to some of his unnamed advisers, tell him to call on.
But Republican lawmakers are now eager to hear every word Biden uttered in a July 23 conversation with former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani.
On Tuesday, GOP Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona sent Biden a letter demanding that he release the full transcript of the call.
Biggs, in a statement, noted that Biden urged Ghani “to lie to Americans and the world.”
“He wanted Ghani to ‘change perception’ of the Taliban’s rapid takeover of the country,” Biggs said.
“Over the last month, the American people watched a shockingly disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan that empowered the Taliban and cost 13 U.S. servicemembers their lives. The American people are tired of being lied to by this administration and deserve to know if President Biden pressured a foreign official to spread misinformation.”
Biden’s conversation with Ghani came about two weeks after Biden assured the American people, and the world, that the Afghan army could handle itself against the Taliban, and that there would not be the type of chaos the nation witnessed at the end of the Vietnam war.
But Reuters, which obtained a transcript of the discussion, noted that Biden told Ghani, “I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban. And there is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture.”
He suggested that as a condition of continued U.S. military aid.
In his letter to Biden, Biggs said, “The American people have the right to know if you asked President Ghani to assist you in misleading them about the withdrawal from Afghanistan. … You have a duty and an obligation to the American people to be transparent and truthful.”
Continuing, Biggs pointed out that the “disastrous” withdrawal from Afghanistan, including the murders of 13 troops in a terrorist attack, conflicted with what Biden had said publicly about the situation in Afghanistan.
“This stark difference has raised legitimate concerns about transparency within your administration and whether your administration lied or misled the American people,” Biggs wrote.
“This phone call raises serious questions about your honesty with the American people regarding the situation in Afghanistan and your understanding of the situation,” added Biggs. “Congress and the American people have the right to know whether you lied to them or encouraged others to lie to them. Particularly when your lies may have led to the deaths of thirteen service members.”
Biggs’ letter came a few days after Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney and 26 other GOP lawmakers also wrote to Biden and demanded he release the audio and the transcript.
“In the period leading up to the withdrawal, your administration made a series of false assurances to the American people and our allies regarding the situation on the ground,” they wrote.
“The contrast between your Administration’s official spin and the reality on the ground revealed a bewildering lack of coherence, strategy, and fundamental transparency. It appeared repeatedly as if your Administration was engaging in a deliberate effort to conceal the truth and mislead the American public.”
“This damning phone call further erodes your credibility and the confidence of the American people in your ability to lead,” the lawmakers added. The full text of the call must be released so “Congress can determine the degree to which you may have deliberately misled the American people leading up to and during this disastrously executed operation.”
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