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2021 Psaki Clip Resurfaces After National Guard Shooting, Sparking Right‑Wing Backlash

Right‑wing social media has circulated a Sept. 1, 2021, clip of Jen Psaki after a shooting near the White House injured two National Guardsmen. Psaki had said evacuees from Afghanistan underwent a “thorough screening and background check process.” The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the U.S. in Sept. 2021, though his asylum approval came only earlier this year. Psaki has not publicly responded to the renewed criticism.

08:56 PM, 11/27/2025Politics
2021 Psaki Clip Resurfaces After National Guard Shooting, Sparking Right‑Wing Backlash

Right‑wing accounts on social media have circulated a Sept. 1, 2021, clip of former White House press secretary Jen Psaki following a shooting that injured two National Guardsmen near the White House. The resurfaced video highlights Psaki’s assertion that evacuees from Afghanistan had undergone rigorous vetting before entering the United States.

“I can absolutely assure you that no one is coming into the United States of America who has not been through a thorough screening and background check process,” Psaki said during the 2021 briefing.

After the recent shooting, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem posted on X that the suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the U.S. on Sept. 8, 2021 — days after Psaki’s remarks. The clip was widely reposted by right‑leaning accounts, including Libs of TikTok, and by conservative commentators aiming to cast doubt on the administration’s vetting claims.

One commentator paired the Psaki clip with footage of then‑Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas praising an evacuation program called “Operation: All Allies Welcome,” under which Afghan arrivals were reviewed on a case‑by‑case basis.

What is known

Reporting indicates Lakanwal did arrive in the U.S. in 2021. His asylum application, however, was not approved until earlier this year. The timing and scope of background checks and asylum adjudication involve multiple agencies and steps, which can complicate direct comparisons between an arrival date and a final asylum decision.

Psaki has not publicly responded to the renewed criticism of her 2021 remarks. The social media debate highlights broader questions about how evacuation programs were managed and how vetting timelines are communicated to the public.

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