Though never losing her noted calm demeanor and professionalism, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki showed little patience for Republicans calling for the resignation of President Joe Biden amidst the on-going withdrawal from Afghanistan at Thursday's White House press briefing.
The withdrawal came as a result of a diplomatic accord President Donald Trump created with the Taliban through his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. The Trump/Taliban accord included the release of several thousand Taliban leaders from prison.
A bombing at Afghanistan's Kabul Airport on August 26, left over 100 people dead, including 13 United States servicemembers.
The tragedy prompted Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley to demand President Biden resign immediately.
He tweeted:
In a statement Hawley shared, the Republican Senator declared:
"This is the product of Joe Biden's catastrophic failure of leadership. It is now painfully clear he has neither the will nor the capacity to lead. He must resign."
Fellow Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee also took to Twitter to call for President Biden's resignation.
Though Blackburn took it several steps further.
She also called for the resignations of Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Army General Mark Milley.
Neither of the GOP Senators gathered up the support they were likely expecting from their statements.
both of their Tweets were met with considerable backlash on Twitter.
A number of followers pointed out the troubles in Afghanistan began long before President Biden took office, while many claimed they were using the tragedy in Afghanistan purely for self gain.
Press Secretary Psaki seemed to be in agreement Blackburn and Hawley's calls for resignation were thinly veiled self-promotion.
When asked what the White House's response was regarding "two elected Republicans" calling for the President's resignation at Thursday's White House press briefing, Psaki delivered a pointed response.
Without ever mentioning either Hawley or Blackburn by name, Psaki stated this tragedy should not be a partisan issue. The only thing that should be on anyone's mind was to honor those killed in the attack.
You can see her remarks here:
She said:
"I would say first, this is a day where U.S. servicemembers... lost their lives at the hands of terrorists."
"It's not a day for politics and we would expect that any American, whether they are elected or not, would stand with us and our commitment going after and fighting and killing those terrorists wherever they live and to honoring the memory of these servicemembers."
"That's what this day is for."
Psaki's response was met with admiration on Twitter.
Psaki will likely be facing several more press briefings with similar questions, as several more Republicans, including former Trump official Nikki Hayley and Georgia GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, joined Blackburn and Hawley in calling for President Biden's resignation.
Psaki hinted she will be stepping down from her position in 2022 in order to spend more time with her family.
Few can argue Psaki's successor will have very big shoes to fill.
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