Jen Psaki apologizes to families of soldiers killed in Abbey Gate attack

Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki has apologized to the families of the 13 US soldiers who died in 2021 during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Psaki’s apology came during a transcribed interview with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, who questioned Psaki about comments she made in her book about an incident at a ceremony in late August 2021 honoring soldiers killed in the Abbey Gate attack.

In her book, Psaki claimed that President Biden did not look at his watch during the ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, a claim that has drawn criticism and skepticism.

“The Chair asked Ms. Psaki about her comments about President Biden looking at his watch while he was in Dover and if she had anything to say to the families on the record,” Leslie Shedd, the majority spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement cited by the Washington Examiner. “After asking her multiple times if she had anything to say to them, Ms. Psaki asked the Chair to apologize to the families and express her regret for the pain she had caused them. He did so,” the statement added.

The attack, which occurred during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, killed more than 170 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. soldiers, and wounded dozens more.