Rep Jim Banks ‘Fact Checks’ John Kirby After he Claims Millions in Equipment Wasn’t Left Behind in Afghanistan

During Thursday’s press briefing, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby denied the claim by former President Trump that the Biden Administration left millions in equipment behind in Afghanistan.

U.S. House Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) called out Kirby on Twitter, confronting him with a list of equipment left in Afghanistan by the American military after the United States’ withdrawal debacle.

“33 Black Hawks, 43 MD-50 helicopters, 23 A-29s planes 33 C-208 planes, a couple thousand humvees and tens of millions of rounds of ammunition is worth how much?”

When confronted with Trump’s claim about the amount of equipment left behind, Kirby seemingly flustered answered:

“Once you turn it over, it’s just like what we’re doing in Ukraine.  We give Ukraine artillery ammunition, Stinger anti-air missiles, Javelin anti-tank.  It’s their stuff at that point, not the Americans’.  It’s their stuff.” 

“That stuff belonged to the Afghans.  And so this idea, this argument is just ludicrous that we left millions of dollars of stuff in Afghanistan.  We didn’t.”

 “We turned it over, as the previous administration would have done too, because part of their thinking was they were going to have to turn this material over.  It was turned over appropriately and carefully and deliberately with the Afghan National Security Defense Forces.”

33 Black Hawks, 43 MD-50 helicopters, 23 A-29s planes 33 C-208 planes, a couple thousand humvees and tens of millions of rounds of ammunition is worth how much? https://t.co/tAVgFma4cr

— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) April 7, 2023

Kirby tried to justify the equipment left behind as “appropriately and carefully and deliberately” turned over to Afghan National Security Defense Forces. Those forces quickly fell to the Taliban and the equipment was now theirs.

The withdrawal from Afghanistan has been seen by many in the world as a failure on behave of Joe Biden and the U.S. Military. It has been a blight on Biden’s presidency.

After the press conference, an official document was posted to The White House website which outlines the key decisions and challenges of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Kirby’s press briefing about the withdrawal on Thursday placed much blame on the previous administration’s actions before Biden took over.

In typical Biden fashion his administration it seems is trying to justify its mistakes/missteps by redirecting blame. No matter how they try to spin the narrative Biden’s approval ratings are in the toilet.

You can read Biden’s official document here.