CV NEWS FEED // In an accidental “reply all” email thread including a FOX Digital reporter, former Biden-Harris Pentagon spokesman John Kirby wrote that there is “no use in responding” to a press inquiry about four military veterans’ criticism of the Administration’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a recent report from FOX News.
White House National Security Council communications adviser John Kirby wrote in the email: “Obviously no use in responding. A ‘handful’ of vets indeed and all of one stripe.”
The message “appeared to be intended for White House staffers” but also included a FOX Digital reporter, according to the FOX report.
FOX’s initial inquiry, which presented criticism from four veterans, including Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills, had first been forwarded to National Security Council staffers. Kirby’s dismissive message followed after.
According to the FOX report, Kirby sent the FOX Digital reporter a follow-up email that stated: “Clearly, I didn’t realize you were on the chain.”
Kirby also issued a public statement for FOX regarding the September 9 press conference where he spoke about the 2021 withdrawal. His remarks at the presser had sparked criticism from the four military veterans in FOX’s inquiry.
“While I acknowledge not every veteran agrees with them, I stand by my comments in the briefing room,” Kirby stated. “What was cherry-picked and selective was the report itself. And what’s most important is that America’s longest war is over and those still serving in uniform are better positioned to meet the threats we face today.”
In an exclusive email statement to CatholicVote, Jason Jones, the president of the Catholic apostolate the Vulnerable People Project, weighed in on Kirby’s remarks from the “reply all” email thread.
“As a young infantryman, I memorized the Ranger Creed, and two stanzas have particularly resonated with me: ‘I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy, and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country,’ and ‘Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor,’” Jones said:
Unfortunately, during the botched U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration embarrassed our country by abandoning our allies to their enemies.
If John Kirby wants to claim that veterans are “of one stripe,” that’s fine—because we’re of the stripe that will not embarrass our country. We will not abandon our allies, and we will complete the mission of resettling them with or without the Biden administration’s support. If only our politicians had a creed.
Jones also weighed in on the fall of Afghanistan as it relates to veterans and the public today.
“In the months and years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, many veterans have confided in me about their depression and suicidal thoughts, feeling guilty because their translators, friends, and cohorts in Afghanistan were abandoned,” Jones said. “They bear a heavy sense of responsibility and feel that the Biden administration failed to protect our allies.”
Jones noted that the Vulnerable People Project’s efforts to help bring to safety Afghan allies and their families who are in danger are still ongoing.
“Thanks to The Vulnerable People Project’s efforts in evacuating allies and their families from Afghanistan, hiding them in safehouses, and providing humanitarian aid to widows and orphans left behind, we have received overwhelming gratitude from people everywhere—not just veterans—for our work,” he said:
To this day, The Vulnerable People Project continues to receive new requests (we’ve had two this week alone) to rescue and evacuate Afghan allies and their families who remain in imminent danger. Contrary to what the Biden administration may believe, Americans have not forgotten the promise our government made to our Afghan allies. That makes me very proud to be an American.
