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Former President Donald Trump has said that the administration of President Joe Biden has handed down a "death sentence" by giving the Taliban a list of all Americans and U.S. allies who remain in Afghanistan.
"Giving the list of all Americans to the Afghans who are already getting dealt very well with, with the people when I'm dealing with them very very well, but they are enemies, giving them a list of the Americans. That's almost like, at a minimum, that'd be harsh, but it could be a death sentence," Trump said in an interview on OAN Monday night.
However, on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that no such list has been given to Taliban forces. Blinken said the U.S. only shared the names of individuals who lacked necessary credentials or documents in order to help them pass through security checkpoints.
Blinken said the lists were necessary to ensure that undocumented evacuees could continue their exit from the country. The U.S. has been rushing to evacuate Americans and U.S. allies from the region as Taliban forces quickly reclaimed the country. The Taliban's takeover occurred leading up to the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. military troops.
"The idea that we've done anything to put at further risk those that we're trying to help leave the country is simply wrong. And the idea that we shared lists of Americans or others with the Taliban is simply wrong," Blinken said on NBC's Meet the Press.
Trump's claim may have stemmed from a Politico report from last Thursday which stated that the U.S. military and diplomatic coordination team at the Kabul airport had provided a full list of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies that the U.S. wanted to evacuate from the country.
The move sparked criticism from officials and media figures. Republican Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse called it "stupid" and "insane." Numerous Fox News hosts have also repeated the "kill list" claim to bash Biden.
Worries about a "kill list" also stemmed in part from the Taliban's history of regularly executing people who helped U.S. forces. Since 2014, the Taliban has murdered at least 300 Afghans who served as interpreters for U.S. forces, according to No One Left Behind, a veteran-led group for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters.
Blinken has said that there are "under 200" Americans in Afghanistan who still want to leave the country. The Biden administration hasn't said how many U.S. allies are still waiting to flee the country.
Biden has pledged millions to help relocate Afghan refugees inside the United States. His administration has also worked to provide Special Immigration Visas to help relocate thousands of Afghan interpreters and translators. Some have since been relocated out of the country and are in an undisclosed location while the visa applications are processed for approval.
Newsweek contacted the White House for comment.
