White House Press Secretary Fends Off Friendly Fire

Jen Psaki finds herself in strange position of parrying criticism from former Obama adviser

Jen Psaki found herself in unfamiliar territory Tuesday, when she found herself having to defend her boss from criticism from the same man who just recently who called her the best White House press secretary in his lifetime.

That would be David Alexrod, the former senior advisor to President Barack Obama, who just weeks ago was singing Psaki's praises in the pages of Vogue magazine.

However, that was before Taliban fighters reached Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, sparking chaotic scenes emerging from the country US forces had been occupying for nearly 20 years before they completed their withdrawal weeks ago.

Alexrod said Monday that President Biden should have “embraced” more responsibility for the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan when he spoke to the nation for the first time since Kabul fell to the Taliban.

“I thought that his case for why we had to get out was strong, it was compelling, and I think he had to do that as well. But I do think that he needed to take responsibility,” Axelrod said.

For her part, Psaki was asked about Alexrod's criticism the following day during her regular press briefing at the White House.

“There are few people I respect as much as David Alexrod in the world of politics. He's brilliant, and he's also a great human being. But he would be the first to say that there’s a difference between being on the outside — and speaking on television — and being on the inside and the difficult choices you have to make,” Psaki said. “As I've noted — and as [White House national security adviser] Jake [Sullivan] noted — even as we're watching, over the last couple of days — heart-wrenching, gut-wrenching footage [and] photos — the president stands by his decision because he knows that it's in the interest of the United States, our national security, and the American people.

“He's not going to ask mothers and fathers to send their children to fight a war that the Afghans won't fight for themselves,” she added. “That does not mean that there aren't chaotic moments. There are.”

Administration officials certainly will “address” those moments as they “assess governing” moving forward.

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