The Five reacts to Biden's handling of Afghanistan, Sullivan's briefing
Geraldo Rivera and the hosts of 'The Five' sound off on the unrest in Kabul.
Fox News correspondent-at-large Geraldo Rivera ripped the Biden administration for "bungling" the Afghan withdrawal, saying on "The Five" Tuesday that President Joe Biden and his top advisers appear to be "stoned and hiding" from the public after their exit strategy set off a catastrophe in Kabul over the weekend.
Rivera argued the disastrous withdrawal strategy and failure to secure Afghanistan should not be seen as a shortcoming of the thousands of brave American service members who were deployed there over the past two decades.
Instead, Rivera pointed to "self-important, Ivy [League] a----" whose failure to understand geopolitics has led to what is being seen as the Taliban retaking control of the country.
"It is like they are all stoned and hiding. I don't get the absolute utter incompetence," Rivera said. "Like most Americans, I wanted out of Afghanistan, but this is reckless and irresponsible and the execution of a non-plan is appalling to me."
"It is such a rookie mistake," he said, adding that one glaring misjudgment by the Biden team was to cede the heavily-fortified Bagram Air Base to the Taliban while instead focusing on keeping Hamid Karzai International Airport under their auspices.
Rivera said Hamid Karzai Airport is geographically vulnerable, in that it sits on low ground and borders densely populated areas.
The United States' ceding of Bagram and deference to HKIA instead of the more-fortified U.S. embassy further proves incompetence, the host added.
Rivera recounted being in the Afghan U.S. embassy with Ambassador Ryan Crocker several years ago when insurgents launched a mortar attack. No one was hurt in that incident, he said, crediting the reinforced walls and structural integrity.
"It is a place we can have an orderly withdrawal," he said. "Instead you have kids like this – these preppy, you know, self-important, Ivy a---- that just were unconnected to the reality."
Rivera made those remarks following a clip of National Security Adviser Jacob Sullivan briefing reporters and taking questions.
"And I hasten to add the one thing we can never forget is the service and sacrifice of our GIs in that awful place for 20 years," Rivera added.
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"Honor their service, remember everything that they have sacrificed ... and don't let the incompetence and absolute bungling of this affect their legacy and the honor that we pay them."
Host Greg Gutfeld later added that Biden indeed had a hand in causing the disaster in Kabul, as evidenced by his recent claim that domestic White supremacist groups, as well as pro-Trump activists, are bigger threats than Al Qaeda or the Taliban.
"This guy is damaged goods," he said. "[After] 20 years of incompetence and corruption [in Afghanistan], there is a whole bunch of people involved, but he is holding the bag here. And the biggest reason why is … who was the leader who said the number one threat to America was not the Taliban, not ISIS, not Al Qaeda, but White supremacy [and] Trump voters? He overestimated the white rube, and underestimated the terrorists."
Biden is scheduled to return to the White House from Camp David, arriving at Fort McNair, D.C. later Monday evening.
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