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'It is not a day for politics': Jen Psaki hits back at Republicans calling for Biden to resign and said Americans should 'stand with us in fighting and killing those terrorists wherever they live'

 White House   press secretary   Jen Psaki   on Thursday slammed Republican lawmakers who called on President   Joe Biden   to resign after ...

 White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday slammed Republican lawmakers who called on President Joe Biden to resign after multiple explosions at the Kabul airport killed 13 US troops and as many as 60 Afghans.

She said this was 'not a day for politics' but for honoring the lives of the service members who died.

'I would say first this is a day where U.S. servicemembers - 12 of them - lost their lives at the hands of terrorists. It's not a day for politics,' she said at her press briefing.

'We would expect that any American, whether they're elected or not, would stand with us and our commitment to going after and fighting and killing those terrorists wherever they live, and to honoring the memory of service members and that's what this day is for,' she added.

After Psaki's briefing, the Pentagon confirmed a 13th death. 

Psaki specifically was asked about two Republican senators - Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee - but other GOP lawmakers have also called on Biden to leave the Oval Office. 

'Joe Biden has now overseen the deadliest day for US troops in Afghanistan in over a decade, and the crisis grows worse by the hour. We must reject the falsehood peddled by a feckless president that this was the only option for withdrawal. 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,' Hawley said a statement.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki slammed Republican lawmakers who called on President Joe Biden to resign, saying it was not a day for politics

White House press secretary Jen Psaki slammed Republican lawmakers who called on President Joe Biden to resign, saying it was not a day for politics

Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri called on Biden to resign
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn went a step further, calling on Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other members of the administration to quit

Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri called on Biden to resign; Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn went a step further, calling on Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other members of the administration to quit

Jen Psaki 'it is not a day for politics' as GOP want Biden to quit
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Blackburn went a step further, calling on Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley also to resign.

'The deaths of American service members today are a direct result of Biden's weak leadership and failed withdrawal. America needs to have faith in our leaders and we can no longer trust the Biden administration,' she said. 

Neither the president nor any of his staff have any intention of resigning. But the criticism of Biden's handling of Afghanistan is ratcheting up as his approval rating is dropping down.

Meanwhile, Biden promised on Thursday to hunt down and destroy the terrorists who killed the American service personnel and Afghans in the double suicide attack on the Kabul airport.

He paid tribute to the 'selfless heroes' who died helping vulnerable people to safety, but delivered a stern warning to the people responsible.

'For those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive, we will not forget,' he said in an address at the White House.

'We will hunt you down and make you pay.'

He also reiterated that he stands by his decision to withdraw troops by August 31 – and said that is not changing in light of recent events.

President Biden promised to hunt down and destroy the ISIS-K terrorists who were behind the double suicide attack in Kabul on Thursday, during an at-times emotional address in the East Room of the White House

President Biden promised to hunt down and destroy the ISIS-K terrorists who were behind the double suicide attack in Kabul on Thursday, during an at-time emotional address in the East Room of the White House

Joe Biden vows to hunt down ISIS-K and make them pay for bomb
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An ISIS-K suicide bomber blew himself up amid the swarms of people outside the airport Thursday, killing 13 US service members, according to the Pentagon

An ISIS-K suicide bomber blew himself up amid the swarms of people outside the airport Thursday, killing 13 US service members, according to the Pentagon

Members of the Republican congressional leadership harshly criticized Biden for his handling of the situation in Afghanistan but stopped short of calling for his resignation.

'Joe Biden has blood on his hands,' Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York - a member of the House leadership team - wrote on Twitter. 'The buck stops with the President of the United States. This horrific national security and humanitarian disaster is solely the result of Joe Biden’s weak and incompetent leadership. He is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.' 

'Terrible things happen when terrorists are allowed to operate freely,' Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement. 'This murderous attack offers the clearest possible reminder that terrorists will not stop fighting the United States just because our politicians grow tired of fighting them.'

Former President Donald Trump, who has been publicly and harshly critical of Biden's handling of the situation in Afghanistan, issued a statement that offered condolences for the fallen troops and Afghans but did not call his successor out by name.  

'Melania and I send our deepest condolences to the families of our brilliant Service Members whose duty to the U.S.A. meant so much to them,' Trump said. 'Our thoughts are also with the families of the innocent civilians who died today in the savage Kabul attack.'

'This tragedy should have never been allowed to happen, which makes our grief even deeper and more difficult to understand,' Trump continued. 

Some of the Republicans calling on Biden to step down are possible rivals to him in 2024. Nikki Haley, a U.S. ambassador to the UN under Donald Trump, is eying a White House run. She called on Biden to resign.

'Should Biden step down or be removed for his handling of Afghanistan? Yes,' Haley tweeted. 'But that would leave us with Kamala Harris which would be ten times worse. God help us.' 

And Sen. Lindsey Graham urged the administration to retake Bagram air base. 

'It is not a capability problem, but a problem of will,' Lindsey Graham, above, said of retaking Bagram

'It is not a capability problem, but a problem of will,' Lindsey Graham, above, said of retaking Bagram 


'I have advocated for days that the Bagram Air Base should be reopened as the Kabul airport is very difficult to defend and has been the only evacuation outlet,' the South Carolina Republican wrote on Twitter

'We have the capability to reestablish our presence at Bagram to continue to evacuate American citizens and our Afghan allies. The biggest mistake in this debacle is abandoning Bagram.'   

'I urge the Biden Administration to reestablish our presence in Bagram as an alternative to the Kabul airport so that we do not leave our fellow citizens and thousands of Afghan allies behind. It is not a capability problem, but a problem of will,' Graham said. 

'The retaking of Bagram would put our military at risk, but I think those involved in the operation would gladly accept that risk because it would restore our honor as a nation and save lives.' 

In the Kabul attack, the first bomber was being searched by troops when he detonated a suicide vest. The second was a car bomb attack. It's unclear how the first bomber got through Taliban checkpoints and close enough to the Marines to kill them. 

The death toll is thought to be the highest in a single incident in Afghanistan since 30 died when a helicopter was shot down in 2011. 

In a statement, Islamic State claimed responsibility and said one of its suicide bombers had targeted 'translators and collaborators with the American army.'

General Kenneth F. McKenzie, commander of CentCom, promised that the evacuation effort would continue despite the growing threat from ISIS and said he would 'go after' those responsible for the blasts.

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