McCaul Talks G20 Summit and Announces Transcribed Interview Requests for Psaki, Kirby, and Price on CNN’s State of the Union
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul joined Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union to react to President Biden’s remarks on G20 and next steps in the committee‘s investigation into the Biden administration’s failed Afghanistan withdrawal – including his recent request to conduct transcribed interviews of former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, and former State Department Spokesperson Ned Price.
On Biden’s remarks about Ukraine during the G20 Summit:
“You know, last year at the G-20, they basically said there is a path forward for Ukraine to join NATO after security agreements after the war is over. This year, they’re saying there is no Russian aggression, a major departure from last year and a real slap in the face to Zelensky as they’re conducting the counteroffensive. So the timing can’t be worse.”
On Biden’s remarks about China during the G20 Summit:
“The whole point of him going to the region, in my view, was to get our friends and allies and partners together in the event of an invasion of Taiwan and a greater invasion into the South Pacific Sea. And the only way we can stop that is through deterrence. Deterrence in diplomacy and deterrence in weapon systems that we have yet to put in the country that I signed off on. So if you have a lack of military deterrence, a lack of diplomatic deterrence, and you’re economically saying, we want to work with you, what deterrence is Chairman Xi have in his mind that would prevent him from making that bold move to take and invade Taiwan, put a blockade in, cut the sea cable and then take over TSMC.”
On Requesting Transcribed Interviews of Jen Psaki, John Kirby, and Ned Price on the Afghanistan Withdrawal:
“We want to talk to Jen Psaki. You know, the messages she was sending out from the White House were so different from what was happening on the ground. You know, John Kirby made the comment that no weapons were left behind, which is insane. There were, you know, $7 billion of weapons. And I can show you the tapes of the weapons and the cash that were left behind. Ned Price, you know, the State Department, making rosy comments and we did. You know, we sent letters to have them testify, all giving you a rosy picture while at the same time what was happening on the ground was very different. I don’t know where this is going to end, Jake, but as a former federal prosecutor, I’m going to follow all the facts.”
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