Kirby mistakenly tells outlet: 'no use in responding' to vets' comments on Afghanistan withdrawal

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby accidentally told a reporter on Wednesday that there was "no use in responding" to concerns from a handful of veterans about the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Fox News said it reached out to the White House on Wednesday for comment regarding the criticism of four veterans, including Florida GOP Rep. Cory Mills, over the White House's and Kirby's responses to the 2021 withdrawal of United States forces from Afghanistan.

Kirby reportedly forwarded the request for comment to all White House staffers, but then mistakenly hit "reply all," which included Fox News, in his message to the staffers.

"Obviously no use in responding. A ‘handful’ of vets indeed and all of one stripe," Kirby said in the email chain.

Kirby has since admitted the mistake to the outlet, claiming that he had not been aware that they would receive the email too.

The confusion comes after Mills slammed Kirby for dodging criticism over the withdrawal during a press conference on Monday, after a House report claimed the Biden administration lied about President Joe Biden's hands being tied when it came to the withdrawal. It also alleged that the State Department did not plan to rescue Americans still stranded in Afghanistan.

"The bottom line is that the Biden-Harris administration chose politics over strategy, and Kirby, who I wouldn’t trust to guard my grocery list, is now trying to cover for them," Mills said.

Mark Geist, a Marine veteran who helped rescue more than 100 Americans in Afghanistan in 2021, also commented on the press conference, along with veteran and author Stuart Scheller and Marine veteran Chad Robichaux.

Kirby has since claimed he stands by his comments in the Monday press briefing.

"While I acknowledge not every veteran agrees with them, I stand by my comments in the briefing room," Kirby told the outlet on the record. "What was cherry-picked and selective was the report itself. And what’s most important is that America’s longest war is over and those still serving in uniform are better positioned to meet the threats we face today."

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.