White House hits back after Dem blames Trump for DC shooting despite Afghan terror suspect being let in under Biden
The White House slammed Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz over her comments blaming President Trump’s deployment of National Guard to the nation’s capital to the ambush of two Guard troops Michael Brochstein/ZUMA / SplashNews.com
The White House sharply criticized Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) after she attempted to pin blame on President Trump for the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC this week — emphasizing that it was policies from the previous administration that allowed the suspected gunman into the country.
Authorities say suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal carried out a targeted ambush Wednesday against West Virginia National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe. Beckstrom, 20, later died from her injuries, while Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
“This animal would’ve never been here if not for Joe Biden’s dangerous policies which allowed countless unvetted criminals to invade our country and harm the American people,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Post. “The Trump Administration is taking every measure possible — in the face of relentless Democrat opposition — to get these monsters out of our country and clean up the mess made by the Biden Administration. Instead of defending terrorists, the Democrats should join us in protecting the American people.”
Lakanwal arrived in the United States under the Biden Administration’s 2021 Operation Allies Welcome program, which brought tens of thousands of Afghan nationals into the country following the fall of Kabul.
Jackson’s forceful comments came in response to Wasserman Schultz, who criticized the president during a Friday appearance on CNN. The Florida congresswoman — who once chaired the Democratic National Committee during Trump’s 2016 campaign — argued that the president should reconsider deploying National Guard forces to American cities.
“The president looks everywhere except inward to blame his own policies,” she said. She questioned whether the attack would have occurred had military personnel not been stationed in the capital. “Why wasn’t the president’s first thought, ‘Maybe I should reconsider deploying military troops in the nation’s capital or in any city?’ Particularly when they haven’t coordinated closely with city leadership, and when we have law enforcement agencies capable of handling criminal justice matters.”
Authorities say Lakanwal drove to Washington, DC from Bellingham, Washington, though his exact motive has not been publicly disclosed. CIA Director John Ratcliffe noted that Lakanwal had previously fought alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan. While more than 70,000 Afghans arrived under Operation Allies Welcome, Lakanwal’s asylum approval came in April during Trump’s term.
Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, reiterated Thursday that the Biden Administration bore responsibility for Lakanwal’s entry into the United States.
Following the attack, President Trump ordered an additional 500 National Guard troops to the capital. Beckstrom died Thursday, and Wolfe remained in critical condition as of Saturday, according to the Joint Task Force – District of Columbia.
President Trump initially declared a public safety emergency in August and authorized the deployment of 800 Guard troops. That force has now grown to 2,000 personnel working to address violent crime in the nation’s capital.
About Post Author
