Antony Blinken's answer to Pulp Fiction 'cleaner' Winston Wolfe failed to answer questions 100 TIMES when quizzed about disastrous Afghanistan exit, damning transcripts reveal

It was possibly the astir consequential of President Joe Biden administration's overseas argumentation decisions: How to bring location American troops from Afghanistan portion keeping diplomats, American citizens and Afghan allies safe.

Yet erstwhile 1 of the State Department's cardinal officials was quizzed by congressional investigators connected however the effort descended into chaos helium could not retrieve the details.

Hours of closed-door grounds obtained by DailyMail.com uncover however Derek Chollet, the caput of state's apical troubleshooter who compared himself with Winston 'the Wolf' Wolfe successful 'Pulp Fiction', answered 100 times that helium did not remember, could not callback oregon did not cognize details that mightiness illuminate what went wrong.

He said helium could not retrieve the overseas counterparts with whom helium worked during the exigency evacuation.

Nor could helium retrieve whether Wendy Sherman, the lawman caput of state, was progressive successful readying the withdrawal—'she astir apt was .... but I don't callback specifically.'

Nor did helium person immoderate recollection of seeing a memo prepared by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security for the incoming Biden medication mounting retired the challenges of keeping an embassy moving aft U.S. troops.

And helium said helium could not retrieve details of the 'prudent readying process' for withdrawal oregon the 4 options it produced.

He was asked: 'Did immoderate of the options that were formulated contemplate the anticipation of the Taliban controlling Afghanistan?'

'I don't recall,' helium said.

The question cuts to the bosom of the chaos that erupted arsenic American troops near Afghanistan successful 2021.

The Taliban seized power of Kabul successful the mediate of August and the U.S.-backed authorities collapsed overmuch faster than quality forecasts suggested.

The effect was hopeless scenes astatine the city's planetary airport, wherever American citizens had to navigate Taliban checkpoints to get to safety. Hundreds were near down aft American troops near connected August 31.

Tragedy struck amid the confusion, erstwhile a termination bomber killed 13 U.S. unit and much than 160 Afghans. 

The House Foreign Affairs Committee's probe is designed to shed airy connected wherefore subject warnings and interior State Department concerns, and wherefore it seemingly took truthful agelong for the medication to respond to Taliban advances.

But Chollet's answers infuriated Rep. Michael McCaul, its chairman, truthful overmuch that helium took the bonzer measurement of publically condemning his 'feigned forgetfulness.'

He wrote to the Senate Armed Services Committee successful February that his 'alarming deficiency of candor' made Challot unsuitable for a caller relation astatine the Pentagon.

'I bash not marque this proposal lightly; during his transcribed interview, Mr. Chollet exhibited not lone a nonaccomplishment to instrumentality accountability for his relation successful the withdrawal but besides a disregard for Congress,' helium wrote.

But a State Department authoritative said determination was thing antithetic astir the interview.

'It is exceptionally communal for individuals to accidental they bash not callback circumstantial details from events respective years anterior during an interrogation to guarantee they supply close information,' said an official.

Chollet whitethorn run mostly nether the nationalist radar, but helium has been a cardinal overseas argumentation subordinate successful Democratic circles for years. He worked astatine the Pentagon, State Department and White House successful the Obama medication earlier taking connected the relation of counsellor astatine the State Department nether Biden.  

In a War connected the Rocks podcast, helium described however helium spent much than fractional of his clip with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, helping with argumentation priorities. 

'It's a small spot of the Wolf from Pulp Fiction, you know, present to hole problems,' helium said, referencing the organized transgression 'cleaner' played by Harvey Keitel. 

Chollet appeared earlier House investigators connected Dec. 19, 2023. 

A partially redacted transcript runs to 185 pages, and features Chollet saying that helium cannot callback oregon cannot retrieve clip aft time.

Some episodes are understandable, similar erstwhile helium could not retrieve attending an planetary league successful Istanbul. It turned retired that helium had alternatively recorded a video connection to beryllium shown astatine the event.

But helium claimed helium could not retrieve different events with implications for U.S. alliances.

For example, earlier Biden announced the withdrawal connected April 14 helium described calling foreign counterparts to fto them cognize of the decision.

'And bash you callback who those overseas counterparts were?' helium was asked.

'I bash not,' helium said.

'Did they see the United Kingdom arsenic portion of those overseas counterparts?'

'I don't callback that, but I can't regularisation it out.'

London was among overseas allies that aboriginal criticized the withdrawal and said it had been blindsided by the decision.

At times the vexation of questioners is clear, similar erstwhile Chollet says helium cannot retrieve that the Taliban refused to be a antithetic league successful Istanbul, a gathering projected by Biden to beforehand bid talks betwixt militants and the Afghan government.

'So I deliberation a amended question is—because we've had a bid of questions successful which you don't callback what transpired during that play successful Afghanistan,' said the questioner. 

'And I cognize that the president is precise interested, fixed the lives that were sacrificed, some by the United States arsenic good arsenic the Afghan civilians, which proceed to beryllium nether the oppression of the Taliban. 

'Maybe it's a amended question to ask, what bash you retrieve astir this period?'

State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller defended Chollet and his role.

'Derek Chollet is an outstanding nationalist servant who has served with favoritism and plays a starring relation wrong the State Department. 

'Attempts to undermine him by cherry picking from his voluntary interrogation wherever helium provided detailed, thorough, truthful, and extended answers connected what was a complex, perpetually evolving concern are wrong.'