Ooof: ABC, NBC Challenge Biden WH on al-Qaeda Threat After Drone Strike

Amid the welcome news that a recent U.S. drone strike had eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today provided welcome pushback Tuesday to the Biden administration’s attempted victory lap by pressing National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on the fact that last August’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan allowed Zawahiri to live openly in downtown Kabul.

You can find more information here GMAGeorge Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton official who was also co-host of the show, sat down with Sullivan and asked first if the strike would lead to a “difference…right now and are you worried about possible retaliation.”

Sullivan insisted the hit proved Biden was “proven” right “that we did not need to keep thousands of American troops in Afghanistan fighting and dying in a 20-year war to be able to hold terrorists” at bay, so Stephanopoulos hit back with the reality that Zawahiri’s presence in downtown Kabul showed Biden’s weakness (click “expand”):

STEPHANOPOULOS Your reply.

SULLIVAN The leader of al-Qaeda has been eliminated from the battlefield. This is a sign of success. Second, for over two decades we fought in Afghanistan. American women and men were risking their lives, many of them resulting in death. Many others were hurt. Ayman Al Zawihiri lived for 20 years. Afghanistan was our last stop. No American is in harm’s path in Afghanistan in uniform, and nobody was on the ground wearing uniform at the time of the strike. We were still able to remove Ayman Al-Zawahiri. That policy was successful and effective. It protects our troops and protects our citizens. And it ensures Afghanistan is not a refuge for terrorists. Ayman alZawahiri was certainly not safe in Afghanistan.

STEPHANOPOULOS – But, how will the United States hold Taliban responsible for breaking the Doha Agreement and harboring Al Qaeda’s leader?

SULLIVAN The Taliban and we are currently in close communication on this. While I won’t be able to forecast our next steps, the Taliban know the United States is determined to protect its interests.

Today It was more tepid. Co-host Savannah Guthrie opened with a question about how active Zawahiri has been as of late with al-Qaeda operations and, while Sullivan complimented her question as “great,” he conceded he hasn’t been “involved in day-to-day planning.”

Guthrie then went to what should be the elephant in the room for any Biden official, recalling the disastrous withdrawal a year ago:

[I]The President had just ordered the withdrawal of all U.S. military forces from Afghanistan one year earlier. Within months, the al-Qaeda leader has been able move back into Kabul. This is a sign that Afghanistan has become yet another safe haven for terrorists.

Sullivan was perturbed by this pushback, lamenting that “it’s strange to call it a safe harbor when we just took out the leader of al-Qaeda sitting on his balcony in Kabul” when the answer should be that Biden “made good on his word…to keep this country safe.”

Guthrie was thankfully followed-up: “[D]o you believe the Taliban government knew that Ayman Al-Zawahiri was living there and what will you do, if anything, to hold the Taliban government accountable, if so?”

Unsurprisingly, Sullivan wouldn’t bite, insisting he wouldn’t “preview any further actions.”

In the second hour, Guthrie told chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel it was “an interesting scenario” for the White House to argue they could still “do these ‘over the horizon’ attacks” while at the same time ceding a country where terrorists can now live in the open.

Engel replied that the administration wants the narrative to be that “this was a huge success” and “proves there’s no need to keep American troops in Afghanistan,” but what can’t be ignored is having to confront this question: “Why was the top leader in Afghanistan anyway less than one year after U.S. troops pulled out? It shows that the Taliban are extremely confident, arrogant, one might say, and that they are not concerned at all with keeping their promise to the United States that they would not allow al-Qaeda to reenter the country.”

CBS Mornings, however, couldn’t be bothered to offer skepticism and instead only levied softballs to Sullivan in an interview that lasted less than two and a half minutes, courtesy of co-host Nate Burleson and fill-in co-host Vladimir Duthiers (click “expand”):

BURLESON: The President’s National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, joins us from the White House to tell us more about this strike. Good morning Jake. All is well, Jake. Let’s jump right into it. Al-Zawahiri, a Taliban-aided Afghan citizen was just reported. How does this relate to the Taliban’s relationship with al-Qaeda?

(….)

DUTHIERS: Jake, it’s Vlad. Now you have confirmed that Al-Zawahiri had been in Kabul when the Taliban knew. If the Taliban harbors terrorists again, what are the United States’ plans? What’s President Biden willing to do?

To see the relevant ABC and NBC transcripts from August 2, click “expand.”

ABC’s Good Morning America
August 2, 2022
Eastern, 7:07

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Live on GMA; One-on-One With National Security Adviser; Jake Sullivan on Strike That Killed Al Qaeda Leader]

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS – Let’s get to the bottom of Zawahiri. The long hunt lasted more than 20 years. However, what impact will this make now? And are you afraid of possible retaliation.

SULLIVAN His role was that of the greatest inspiration, the leader and strategist who provided guidance to all affiliates. He also sent messages encouraging his followers to kill and attack the United States. A man who sought to maintain a worldwide network of terrorists which could threaten America and Americans. Taking him out made America safer. George. The President was right to declare one year ago, that we didn’t need thousands of American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan for 20 years to counter terrorist threats and keep them at bay. With the decisive strike ordered over the weekend, he proved it and again Americans are more secure for this.

STEPHANOPOULOS : Some of your critics claim that he was there right in Kabul, as Senator James Inhofe said it, is a reflection of the failure of President Biden’s policies toward this country. Your reply.

SULLIVAN The leader of al-Qaeda has been eliminated from the battlefield. This is a sign of success. Second, for over two decades we fought in Afghanistan. American women and men were risking their lives, many of them resulting in death. Many others were hurt. Ayman Al Zawihiri lived for 20 years. Afghanistan was our last stop. No American is in danger of harm in Afghanistan in uniform, and nobody was on the ground wearing uniform when this strike happened. We were still able to remove Ayman Al-Zawahiri (the Taliban) from the battlefield. That policy was successful and effective. It protects our troops and protects our citizens. And it ensures Afghanistan is not a refuge for terrorists. Ayman alZawahiri was certainly not safe in Afghanistan.

STEPHANOPOULOS – But, how will the United States hold Taliban responsible for breaking the Doha Agreement and harboring Al Qaeda’s leader?

SULLIVAN This is a direct conversation with the Taliban. I don’t want to predict our next move, but they know that the United States will defend its interests and make sure Afghanistan can not be used to attack their country.

STEPHANOPOULOS – Jake Sullivan, thank you for taking the time to speak this morning.

—————-

NBC’s Today
August 2, 2022
Eastern, 7:06

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: National Security Adviser on al-Zawahiri Death]

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE : Jake Sullivan is the National Security Adviser for President Biden. Good morning Jake.

JAKE SULLIVAN : Good morning.

Ayman alZawahiri, as we have just learned, is a well-known terrorist. A long list of terrorist activities dates back to his involvement in the bombings at embassy buildings in Africa and the attack on the USS Cole. Clearly an incredibly important security leadership figure — symbolic figure. You might ask me: What active was he right now? Did he plan, execute, or inspire attacks on U.S. interest from Afghanistan?

SULLIVAN: Well, it’s a great question, Savannah. Since bin Laden was killed in 2011, for more than a decade, Ayman al-Zawahiri was the emir of al-Qaeda — that means the number one guy. His legacy was a source of inspiration and support for al-Qaeda leaders all over the globe. He was more than just a motivational figure for al-Qaeda leaders. While he didn’t participate in daily planning, his actions in years leading to our victory on the battlefield led us to believe that he had played a significant role in al-Qaeda’s direction and continuing to present a grave threat to America and all Americans.

GUTHRIE. It wasn’t a year ago that President Obama ordered the withdrawal of all U.S. military forces from Afghanistan. It appears the al-Qaeda leader was able to return in Kabul within a matter of months. This is a sign that Afghanistan has become yet another safe haven for terrorists.

SULLIVAN : It’s odd to say it’s a safe harbour when the leader of al-Qaeda is on his Kabul balcony. It does not indicate that it is. Savannah, it is a signal to me that the President kept his promise when we left. After 20 years of war, he said that the United States didn’t need to continue sending American soldiers and civilians to Afghanistan to protect this country. He stated that we could continue targeting and eliminating terrorists in Afghanistan with no troops. With this quick and decisive action he ordered this weekend, he fulfilled that promise. He fulfilled his promise and the United States will continue to be able to protect us from terrorists in Afghanistan.

GUTHIE: Just to be clear, are you certain that the Taliban government knew Ayman Al-Zawahiri had been living in Afghanistan? And if so, what would you do?

SULLIVAN : According to our belief, there are senior Haqani network members who knew Zawahiri was visiting Kabul. It is possible that there were other Taliban members who didn’t know. While we have been engaging with the Taliban, I don’t want to give any details about any additional actions that will be taken to make sure that they live up to their commitment not to let any foreign plotting out of Afghanistan. You can rest assured that America will remain vigilant.

(….)

Eastern, 8:02

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Al Qaeda Leader Killed in U.S. Drone Strike]

KOTB: Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor was our conversation earlier.

SULLIVAN: [W]hile he wasn’t involved in day-to-day planning, we believe — [MISSING SCREEN WIPE] — we believe he was playing an active role at a strategic level in directing al-Qaeda and in continuing to go pose a severe threat against the United States and American citizens everywhere.

KOTB. President Biden stated that there weren’t any civilian casualties in the weekend operations. Nearly one year has passed since the chaos-stricken U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

GUTHRIE: NBC’s chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel has covered al-Zawahiri and his exploits for years. Richard was also found in Kabul. It’s an interesting scenario because on the one hand, when the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, the President said we’ll be able to do these “over the horizon” attacks and target terrorists. On the other hand, here you have a terrorist — the leader of al-Qaeda, living in Kabul.

RICHARD ENGEL: So, the Biden administration is trying to say this was a huge success, that it proves there’s no need to keep American troops in Afghanistan because, as the administration has been saying from the start, if there is a problem, if al-Qaeda starts to reconstitute itself in Afghanistan, the United States with drones and its intelligence assets, can carry out these so-called over-the-horizon strikes from a far — from — from a great distance like it did over the weekend. This raises another question. Why did the Afghan top leader remain in power for less than a year following the withdrawal of U.S. troops? The Taliban seem confident and arrogant. They don’t care about keeping the promises they made to the United States not to let al-Qaeda reenter their country. They allowed al-Qaeda to enter Kabul, and they also permitted the leader of al-Qaeda to reside in one of the safehouses in Kabul’s central area near the presidential palace. They can indeed reach far. This also implies that al-Qaeda has the confidence to travel back. They also feel comfortable enough to accept them into their homes.