White House scolded Hilary Clinton for calling Zelensky during Afghanistan withdrawal: Book

The White House called former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was helping evacuate Afghan women amid the chaotic withdrawal, to scold her for calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office to ask for help, according to a newly released book.

Atlantic staff writer Franklin Foer’s “The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future” outlined that during the August 2021 withdrawal, Clinton had a “Kill List” of women in Afghanistan who could be targets of the Taliban once the United States left the country.

They were called “white scarves,” Foer writes, because they were told by Clinton’s team to wear white scarves so they were identifiable.

The former secretary called the emir of Qatar to ask him to accompany buses carrying the women through Taliban checkpoints, according to Foer, and she called Zelensky’s office to provide military transport from the airport.

“Clinton called an aide to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, asking if she could board refugees on a military transport plane destined for Kyiv. Her efforts earned her a reprimand,” Foer wrote.

“‘What are you doing calling the Ukrainian government,’ Jake Sullivan asked her,” Foer wrote, referring to President Biden’s national security adviser.

“‘Well,’ she responded. ‘I wouldn’t have to call, if you guys would,'” Foer wrote.

Clinton then “assured” Sullivan she would coordinate with the Biden administration, though she had already made contact with other world leaders.

She had also called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a favor, but she “wasn’t advocating on behalf of the U.S. government,” Foer said.

Clinton also called Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who revered former President Clinton for protecting Albanians in Kosovo in 1999, to ask to help house Afghan women.

The “Kill List” of 1,5000 Afghan woman and their families was compiled by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, which was run by Clinton’s former chief of staff Melanne Verveer. The former first lady was able to get more than 1,000 people out of Afghanistan.

The Hill has reached out to the White House and Clinton for comment.

Foer’s book is an insider account of Biden’s first two years in office and was released Tuesday. It comprises almost 300 interviews between November 2020 and February 2023.