Biden official fires back at CNN's Tapper over accusation Taliban was handed a 'kill list'

On Sunday morning, President Joe Biden's nationals security advisor engaged in a contentious back and forth with CNN's Jake Tapper over a report in Politico that the administration had given the Taliban alist of Americans and Afghan allies that was being used as a "kill list."

Pressed by Tapper, Jake Sullivan explained how the administration was doing the best they could evacuating everyone before finally saying the report of the list, "Is flat out not correct."

"There was a Pentagon official in that report that referred to this as a 'kill list," the CNN host charged. "Are you disputing any of this information was given or are you just disputing it was a huge, comprehensive list? maybe there was a smaller list and those SIVs did not get into the airport. Is there any chance that that happened?"

"I have just laid out for you the process that we have used, which is to have groups of people move to locations that we have identified, to work with the Taliban to get them through those locations and to the airport," Sullivan explained. "We have not, to my knowledge, had instances where when we have coordinated to get a particular movement on to the airfield outside of HKIA that we have been unable to get that group that we, the United States government, has said this is a priority for us."

"There have been people turned away at Taliban checkpoints," he conceded. "We are now working to try to resolve all of those cases so if there is anyone eligible to come to the United States, we're able to get them here. The idea of what you just quoted from a Pentagon official is flat out not correct. There is no such, quote, unquote, kill list. It is not -- it is irresponsible and unfounded reporting."

Watch below:

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