Kirby clashes with Al Jazeera reporter over Biden's Middle East actions: 'Let me stop you right there'

Fox News ^ | January 29, 2024 | Joseph A. Wulfsohn

[MinorityRepublican]

White House national security spokesman John Kirby had a fiery exchange with an Al Jazeera reporter over the popularity of the Biden administration's recent actions in the Middle East.

At Monday's press briefing, Al Jazeera correspondent Kimberly Halkett began by pressing Kirby over whether President Biden had the authorization to launch attacks on the Houthi rebels in Yemen without congressional approval, following the terror group's escalation against U.S. troops and cargo ships in the region.

Kirby responded by saying Biden has the authority under Article II of the Constitution to take such military actions and repeatedly insisted he is not starting a war with the Houthis nor with Iran, adding that the Biden administration will inform lawmakers about any actions taken.

However, Kirby was visibly irked when Halkett continued and insisted the American people were "not happy" with Biden's actions.

"Isn't it time to involve the American people?" Halkett asked. "I mean, given the fact that the American people were not happy about-"

"I suspect the American people are not happy about attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. I also suspect they're not happy about seeing American troops killed at a base in Jordan," Kirby fired back. "The president has the authority to defend those troops in those facilities, and he'll do that."

[The Iceman Cometh]

not starting a war with the Houthis nor with Iran

He's actually not wrong. You can't start something that has already begun.

[El Cid]

"...I also suspect they're not happy about seeing American troops killed at a base in Jordan," Kirby fired back.

And particularly not happy about putting Americans in harms way, basically with targets painted on their backs.
We don't need to be there. We were energy self-sufficient once (in the not too distant past), and we can be energy self-sufficient again. If we have the will to do so.

If you are looking for places to put our troops in harm's way, let's do it to protect our Country. We are being overrun on our Southern Border - do something about that, and let the Middle East be the Middle East.