Kamala Harris Misleads on U.S. Military Presence: Another Debate Gaffe Exposed
By Jon Brenner|September 15, 2024
Kamala Harris Misleads on U.S. Military Presence: Another Debate Gaffe Exposed

Kamala Harris seems to have a talent for dodging tough questions with word salads and outlandish claims, but this time, her attempt to sidestep the mess of the Afghanistan withdrawal has backfired in a big way. During the September 10th debate between Harris and Donald Trump, the vice president made a statement that left military experts scratching their heads—and calling her out.

The debate was packed with the usual Harris deflections. She tried to pin the disaster in Afghanistan on Trump (because apparently, nothing is ever her fault), despite the catastrophic withdrawal happening under her and Biden’s watch. But possibly the most egregious claim she made was about the U.S. military and their presence in combat zones. When asked whether she took any responsibility for the chaotic pullout, Harris quickly pivoted and dropped a bombshell that had military experts lining up to fact-check her.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Harris has been caught making questionable claims. From her infamous word salad speeches to dodging real questions on the border crisis, Harris has made a habit of speaking in half-truths. But this time, she really crossed a line, especially with military members and veterans who know the reality on the ground far better than she apparently does.

Harris’s Misleading Statement on U.S. Troops

In one of the more bizarre moments of the debate, Kamala Harris decided to make an unusual claim about U.S. soldiers and war zones. Instead of addressing the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan head-on, she made a sweeping declaration about the current state of U.S. military involvement overseas.

From Fox News:
“As of today, there is not one member of the United States military who is on active duty in a combat zone in any war zone around the world, the first time this century,” Harris said during the Presidential Debate on ABC.

Now, I don’t know where Harris is getting her information, but that statement is flat-out misleading. Maybe she thought if she just said it with enough conviction, no one would question her. But unfortunately for her, military experts and veterans are paying attention, and they’re not buying it.

Her attempt to sound like the bringer of peace, claiming no U.S. troops are in war zones, was meant to show how great things are under her administration. Yet, the reality is far different. Just because the administration isn’t publicly acknowledging combat zones doesn’t mean our troops aren’t in harm’s way.

The Reality: U.S. Troops Still Face Danger

The fact-checkers were quick to pounce, and for good reason. It turns out, Kamala’s rosy picture of no troops in harm’s way is far from accurate. As usual, the administration has quietly redefined what it means to be in a “combat zone,” but that doesn’t mean our brave men and women aren’t still serving in dangerous areas around the world.

From Fox News:
Mark Montgomery, a retired rear admiral and senior director for the Center on Cyber and Tech Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, told Fox News Digital that the U.S. has “quietly shut down designations of war zones over the past few years.”

“I would ask: Is anyone getting combat-related hazardous duty pay?” Montgomery added. “The answer is yes,” and noted Syria as an example.

This is the classic Democrat strategy: change the labels and pretend the problem goes away. By quietly shifting the designation of what qualifies as a war zone, Harris can make sweeping claims like “no troops are in combat zones,” even though that’s not entirely true. In fact, our soldiers are still serving in places like Syria, where combat-related hazardous duty pay is very much a reality.

So, while Harris is out here claiming victory and peace, our troops are still putting their lives on the line in areas of conflict. It’s just that her administration has decided to play a semantic game to make it seem like everything is fine. Sound familiar? This is the same administration that has been downplaying crises at the border, in Afghanistan, and now, in combat zones.

Dodging Accountability for Afghanistan

Let’s not forget why this entire exchange happened in the first place. When Harris was asked whether she bore any responsibility for the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, her first instinct was to blame Trump, naturally. The pullout was a tragic debacle, with people literally falling from planes, billions of dollars of U.S. military equipment left behind, and 13 American service members killed in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport.

And Harris’s response? Blame the guy who put a conditions-based deal in place that her administration completely disregarded.

Rather than owning up to their failure, Harris and Biden have consistently pointed the finger at Trump. But voters aren’t stupid—they remember who was in charge when Kabul fell into chaos. And they certainly remember the images of desperate Afghan civilians clinging to U.S. planes as they tried to escape the Taliban.

Instead of addressing these issues directly during the debate, Harris dodged and deflected, as usual. And her statement about U.S. troops not being in combat zones is just another example of her administration’s complete detachment from reality.

What’s Next for Harris?

At this point, Kamala Harris’s credibility is hanging by a thread. Between the border crisis, the disastrous foreign policy blunders, and now misleading the American people about U.S. military presence overseas, it’s hard to take anything she says seriously. It’s no wonder that more and more voters are turning away from the Biden-Harris ticket.

If this debate was supposed to showcase her ability to lead, then mission failed. Harris not only came off as unprepared and evasive but also showed how little she understands about the realities facing our troops and foreign policy. And if her performance continues like this, she’s going to be out of the White House and public service very soon.

Key Takeaways:

  • Kamala Harris falsely claimed no U.S. troops are in combat zones during the debate.
  • Military experts quickly debunked her statement, pointing out troops still serve in dangerous areas like Syria.
  • Harris’s evasion of accountability for Afghanistan’s disastrous withdrawal continues to hurt her credibility.

Source: Fox News

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Jon Brenner
Patriot Journal's Managing Editor has followed politics since he was a kid, with Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush as his role models. He hopes to see America return to limited government and the founding principles that made it the greatest nation in history.
Patriot Journal's Managing Editor has followed politics since he was a kid, with Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush as his role models. He hopes to see America return to limited government and the founding principles that made it the greatest nation in history.