Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) says President Joe Biden’s warning to those responsible for the bombings in Afghanistan is an empty threat.
During an appearance on CNN’s “New Day,” Waltz said, “It’s ludicrous and I think it’s empty words. Unless they can conduct that strike in the next 48 hours and if that’s the case, then I would wonder why we didn’t do it preemptively if we have that type of intelligence.”
He suggested Biden’s statement was to “look tough and to tell the nation that they’ll be some type of response but logistically, militarily, I think it’s going to be incredibly challenging.”
Host Brianna Keilar asked Waltz how this attack affects evacuation efforts.
He replied, “It made an already difficult situation nearly impossible and from the briefings I’ve received, I think that we very likely could face additional attacks.”
Watch his interview below:
"It's ludicrous and I think it's empty words."
— CNN This Morning with Kasie Hunt (@CNNThisMorning) August 27, 2021
Florida GOP Rep. Michael Waltz reacts to President Biden issuing a warning to those responsible for the Kabul airport attack in Afghanistan on Thursday, saying, "we will hunt you down and make you pay."https://t.co/glTI3QKOb8 pic.twitter.com/vUFogpF81v
Biden warned those responsible for the attack, “We will not forgive, we will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.”
He also said that “we have some reason to believe we know who” is responsible for the attacks.
The attack killed 13 U.S. service members and injured more than a dozen others. According to the Pentagon, a suicide bomber detonated an explosion at an entrance to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
A Taliban spokesperson spoke out against the “gruesome incident” and said they “will take every step to bring the culprits to justice.”
Fox News’s Peter Doocy asked Biden if he bears “any responsibility for the way that things have unfolded in the last two weeks?”
He responded, “I bear responsibility for fundamentally all that’s happened of late, but here’s the deal.”
Biden pointed out that former President Donald Trump “made a deal with the Taliban that he would get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1.”
He continued, “In return the commitment was made – and that was a year before. In return, he was given a commitment that the Taliban would continue to attack others but would not attack any American forces.”