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Buttigieg on whether Biden hurt Democrats with reelection bid: ‘Maybe'

Buttigieg on whether Biden hurt Democrats with reelection bid: ‘Maybe'

Yahoo14-05-2025

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested former President Biden's decision to run for reelection 'maybe' hurt Democrats in last year's presidential election.
'Right now, with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that's the case,' Buttigieg told reporters following a town hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with the liberal group VoteVets on Tuesday.
'We're also not in a position to wallow in hindsight. We've got to get ready for some fundamental tests of the future of this country and this party, some of which are going on this very year, and many which will come next year,' he continued.
Buttigieg's comments come amid the release of a number of books detailing the end of Biden's presidency in which he came under intense scrutiny over his fitness for office.
When asked if Biden experienced cognitive decline while in office, Buttigieg said, 'Every time I needed something from him and from the West Wing, I got it.'
Buttigieg noted he worked closest with Biden was during the aftermath of Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore last year.
'The same president that the world saw addressing that was the same president I was in the Oval with insisting that we do a good job and do right Baltimore and that's characteristic of my experience with him,' Buttigieg said.
The town hall in the early contest state has stoked speculation of a possible presidential run from Buttigieg in 2028. Buttigieg told reporters Tuesday he is not running for office at the moment.
'Right now I'm not running for anything,' Buttigieg said. 'Part of what's exciting and compelling about an opportunity like this is to be campaigning for values and ideas rather than a specific electoral campaign. So that's what I'm about but of course it means a lot to hear that the people who supported me then continue to believe in what I have to say.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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The White House Is Delighted With Events in Los Angeles
The White House Is Delighted With Events in Los Angeles

Atlantic

time27 minutes ago

  • Atlantic

The White House Is Delighted With Events in Los Angeles

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Biden admin evacuated 55 Afghans on terror watchlist to US during botched withdrawal: DOJ watchdog
Biden admin evacuated 55 Afghans on terror watchlist to US during botched withdrawal: DOJ watchdog

New York Post

time28 minutes ago

  • New York Post

Biden admin evacuated 55 Afghans on terror watchlist to US during botched withdrawal: DOJ watchdog

US officials encountered 55 Afghan evacuees on the terrorist watchlist after the Biden administration's chaotic 2021 withdrawal from the Middle Eastern country, according to a Justice Department inspector general report. The report, released Tuesday, confirmed longstanding suspicions from Republican lawmakers that the Biden administration failed to properly vet US-bound refugees as the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan. 'I've sounded the alarm about the need to thoroughly vet Afghan evacuee applicants since August 2021,' Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in a statement, reacting to the DOJ IG report. 'The Biden-Harris administration, my Democrat colleagues in Congress and many in the media were quick to dismiss glaring red flags that a nonpartisan national security analysis now confirms.' 3 Grassley charged that the Biden administration endangered the lives of Americans by allowing improperly vetted Afghan refugees into the US. AP The FBI's Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) identified 55 Afghans that were either already on the terrorist watchlist and made it to a US port of entry or were added to the database during the evacuation and resettlement process, the report found. Of those, at least 21 were added to the terror list after they had already entered the US. After investigations, the FBI eventually removed 46 evacuees from the watchlist, determining that they posed no threat to the homeland. However, nine remained in the terror database as of July 2024 and eight were in the US. 'As if it wasn't already obvious, the Biden-Harris administration endangered American lives by allowing suspected terrorists to enter the United States and roam free for years,' Grassley argued, noting that his 'oversight of this matter will continue.' Roughly 90,000 Afghans were allowed entry into the US and became eligible for Special immigrant Visas under the Biden administration's Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) and Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) programs, which provided the foreign nationals immigration processing and resettlement support. 'According to the FBI, the need to immediately evacuate Afghans overtook the normal processes required to determine whether individuals attempting to enter the United States pose a threat to national security, which increased the risk that bad actors could try to exploit the expedited evacuation,' the DOJ IG report stated. Despite the 55 individuals flagged, the DOJ inspector general determined that overall 'each of the responsible elements of the FBI effectively communicated and addressed any potential national security risks identified.' 3 The Biden administration hastily evacuated tens of thousands of Afghans as the country fell to the Taliban in 2021. AFP via Getty Images 3 As of July 2024, eight Afghans on the FBI's terror watchlist were still in the United States. AP Last October, the DOJ charged an Afghan national brought into the US during the chaotic withdrawal with plotting an ISIS-inspired Election Day terror attack. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was living in Oklahoma City on a Special Immigrant Visa as he took steps to stockpile AK-47 rifles and ammunition to carry out an attack on US soil 'in the name of ISIS,' according to the Justice Department. Tawhedi entered the US on Sept. 9, 2021, just weeks after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan and the last US troops departed from the war-torn nation. Tawhedi was charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and is currently awaiting trial.

Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli to face off in race for New Jersey governor
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time31 minutes ago

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Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli to face off in race for New Jersey governor

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