White House touts Taliban cooperation with Afghanistan evacuations
'Special Report' All-Star Panel discuss the president's dealings with Taliban militants
This is a rush transcript from "Special Report" September 9, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
BAIER: Let's bring in our panel, Bill McGurn, columnist for "The Wall Street Journal," Byron York, chief political correspondent of "The Washington Examiner," and Charles Lane, opinion writer for "The Washington Post."
I want to play this soundbite, Jen Psaki, gentlemen, talking about the Taliban today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The Taliban was cooperative in facilitating the departure of these American citizens and legal permanent residents from HKIA. We promised we'd press the Taliban to get them out, and that's exactly what we did.
NED PRICE, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: As we have said, additional such steps will be similarly greeted not only by the United States but by the international community.
REP. MIKE GALLAGHER, (R-WI) HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: These people aren't guests of the Emir. They are hostages right. And the price for getting our people out is going to be millions of dollars to the Taliban and international recognition. That's what I fear is coming next.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BAIER: It was the National Security Council, though, Bill, that put out this statement that raised a lot of eyebrows on Capitol Hill, and it said "The Taliban have been cooperative in facilitating the departure of American citizens and lawful permanent residents on charter flights from HKIA. They have shown flexibility, and they have been business like and professional in our dealings with them in this effort. This is a positive first step." Your thoughts on this?
BILL MCGURN, COLUMNIST, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Easy when you read that to forget that their real partners were Al-Qaeda, and that they are, by letting Al-Qaeda stay in their homeland, they helped facilitate the attack on us on 9/11 20 years ago this coming Saturday.
Look, I don't have a problem with dealing with them. They are in charge. You have to deal with them. But I have a problem that we would have had a stronger hand if we left our troops there. Now we are just dependent on their good will. And what I'm wondering is what we have given away already, whether it's a promise of recognition and so forth. I would rather we have a lot more options, and Joe Biden reduced all his options by a precipitous withdrawal of all the troops. So now he better hopes the Taliban cooperates, because that's all he's got.
BAIER: Chuck, we don't know the number of Americans that were on that flight, flew to Qatar, to Doha. And we assume it's some number. And we don't know how many Americans are left. We haven't heard that from the administration. Yet that was a success today, getting those people out.
CHARLES LANE, OPINION WRITER, "WASHINGTON POST": Yes, I have read, unconfirmed, that it's somewhere in the neighborhood of three dozen measures plus passport holders from a lot of other western countries. And certainly this does feed the impression that the Taliban sees it in their interest to kind of play ball with these countries until their basic citizens are out.
Query whether they are going to have that same attitude about the endangered Afghans who have been left behind, but, surely, these words, "business-like," "professional," "cooperative" are worth gold. Maybe there is not real money changing hands yet. But, in the future, if the United States and others try to get tough on the Taliban, they can point to those statements and say you used to think we were professional and business- like.
BAIER: Yes, Byron?
BYRON YORK, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER": The weird thing about this episode is that the entire U.S. government, the Biden administration, seems kind of needy in all of this. And we do need the help of the Taliban. So, we're so happy that they have allowed a Qatari plane to leave now. And on the other question of who is coming out, the two big questions have always been about the air lift, who did we leave behind, who did we bring out? And the Biden administration has been incredibly secretive not just with the public but with members of Congress, too.
BAIER: All right, panel, stand by. We will review that interview we had on set and talk about what the president said today with the panel after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BAIER: Breaking tonight, just minutes ago, the Los Angeles County school districts, the officials there voted to require vaccinations for students aged 12 and over. L.A. County the second largest school district in the nation, and the kids will have to get vaccinated, some before October, others before November. This as the president was talking about mandates in the White House today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think the COVID vaccine be mandatory?
JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I don't think it should be mandatory. I wouldn't demand it to be mandatory. I will do everything in my power as president of the United States to encourage people to do the right thing.
This is not about freedom or personal choice. It's about protecting yourself and those around you.
The Department of Labor is developing an emergency rule to require all employers with 100 or more employees that together employ over 80 million workers to ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BAIER: The president has warmed up to mandates.
We are back with the panel. Chuck, the first the federal, anybody working for the federal government or contractors, that's one aspect of this. And the other part was what he talked about there through OSHA, the Labor Department, with a rule. The question is whether this is legally going to be challenged or how it sits.
LANE: If I had to put the title on this speech, it would have been no more Mr. Nice Guy. The persuasive effort is now over and the targeting, verbally at least, of a distinct minority of people who are not vaccinated is underway. There will be legal challenges to this, I'm sure. But I think the president is banking on the fact that so far most people are vaccinated and, therefore, won't be affected by this. And secondly, many people do support these mandates.
BAIER: Well, we ran out of time for you two guys. I owe Bill and I owe Byron. But when we come back, tomorrow's headlines with those guys.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BAIER: Finally tonight, a look at tomorrow's headlines with the panel. Bill, first to you.
MCGURN: My headline is what didn't make the headlines. It would read this way -- a white won wearing a gorilla mask throws an egg at a man campaigning to be the first black governor of California, and it doesn't make the headlines.
BAIER: There you go. Byron?
YORK: Mine is about today's events with Afghanistan -- Taliban basks in White House praise. We're business like and professional, terror group says.
BAIER: All right, Chuck?
LANE: Americans prepare for 20th anniversary in a sour mood over the coronavirus and the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul. It's a somber occasion by nature, and I think it's going to it greet a country that's in a somber mood.
BAIER: Yes, already 20 years. Hard to believe. Thank you, gentlemen.
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