Sister of American Airlines pilot whose plane was flown into the Pentagon on 9/11 says Biden is 'embracing' the Taliban and she fears the US is in 'grave danger 20 years after the terror attacks
The sister of an American Airlines pilot killed on 9/11 slammed Joe Biden in a Fox interview saying his chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal infuriated her and that it has put the US at risk of fresh terror attacks.
Debra Burlingame, 67, lost her brother Charles 'Chic' Burlingame on the day of the attack after AA flight 77, a Boeing 757, crashed into the Pentagon when it was hijacked by terrorists nearly 20 years ago.
In an interview with Fox's The Story host Martha MacCallum, Burlingame described her disdain for Biden after watching a clip of George W. Bush commenting on the 9/11 attack in 2001.
'Just listening to that fills me with rage,' she told the network. 'Because I can’t imagine what the soundbites 20 years from now will be from President Biden. Those [from Bush] speak to everything he’s not doing.'
'I believe we’re in grave danger now. This administration is now embracing a terrorist regime. The very people he's referring to sheltered Osama bin Laden, the ones that provided him a safe haven while they practiced storming the cockpits and killing the pilots.'
Debra Burlingame, 67, slammed President Joe Biden for his soft treatment of Taliban during an interview with Fox News
Debra's brother Charles 'Chic' Burlingame was an American Airlines pilot who was killed after his plane was hijacked by terrorists on 9/11
President Joe Biden has been criticized for his actions in Afghanistan, including his recent exit strategy of U.S. troops and citizens
Burlingame went on to describe that hijackings, such as the one that involved her brother, were practiced in Afghanistan by terrorist leaders such as Hani Hanjour.
Hanjour was the terrorist leader responsible for her brother's plane hijacking on 9/11. It killed 53 passengers, six crew members and five hijackers, as well as 125 people who were inside the Pentagon at the time.
'That regime is now in place [in Kabul]. Some of the very people involved … are the people that President Biden is calling a friendlier, kinder, Taliban,' Burlingame added.
'No. They’re mullahs installed now. They have members of the Haqqani Network in their ministry. Haqqani is more vicious than Al Qaeda. They are known for brutal hostage-taking.'
Fox's The Story host Martha MacCallum interviewed Burlingame and Katherine Deparis whose brothers were killed in the 9/11 attack
Debra Burlingame with her late brother Charles 'Chic' Burlingame
Burlingame's plane crashed into The Pentagon in D.C. killing everyone onboard as well as several people in the building. The wrecked building is pictured on September 14 2001
Burlingame further stated that Biden 'will not be welcome' by some families at the 9/11 memorial sites after his actions in Afghanistan.
President Biden has been criticized for his U.S. exit strategy, which included deploying more troops to Afghanistan during the Taliban takeover.
'I think it's going to go down in history as one of the biggest mistakes,' Burlingame added.
The Fox interview took place nearly 20 years after the 9/11 attacks that killed both Burlingame's brother and the brother of Kathleen Deparis, who was also present for the interview.
President George W. Bush was praised for his concern of the safety of the American people after the 2001 attack
After the 9/11 attack, former President Bush sought to ensure the safety of the American people first.
In 2001, Bush said: 'Either you’re with us or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.'
Katherine Deparis lost her brother Bart Ruggiere who was killed in the 9/11 attacks
Deparis agreed with Burlingame on her claims that the Biden administration and the U.S. government should be protecting the citizens of their country.
In terms of the exit strategy, Deparis called it 'totally avoidable' and said she felt as if she was 'stabbed in the back.'
She said: 'We talk about never forget.' How can this administration have forgotten who these people are and what they have done to this country. And my brother.'
The US military lifted off from Kabul for the final time on August 30, having evacuated more than 100,000 people from Afghanistan.
President Biden himself is said to have been stunned by the speed with which the Taliban retook Afghanistan, but has insisted he was right to withdraw from a conflict that the United States could not win.
Critics have said he should have maintained a strategic presence, as the US does in other countries including South Korea and Germany, to send effective warning signals to enemies.
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