Pool Reports of August 17, 2021

in-town pool report 0

Good morning,

It's a grey morning in Washington. Call time for the in-town pool is at 1p, and a briefing by Jen Psaki and NSA Jake Sullivan is scheduled for 1:30p.

The White House has also flagged a 10a briefing with Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby at 10a. It will stream here.

in-town pool report #1

A White House official passes along this background:

The Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKAI) is open, and flights are able to land and depart, including on the civilian side. As of this morning, there are 3,500 troops on the ground at HKAI. Today, U.S. military flights are taking off from HKAI with American citizens and U.S. Embassy personnel on board. Yesterday, we evacuated more than 700 people, including 150 American citizens.

in-town pool report #2 -- two-minute warning for briefing

The White House gave a 2-minute briefing warning at 1:31p.

in-town pool report #3 -- briefing finished

The briefing ended at 2:42p (it began at 1:33p).

in-town pool report #4 -- LID

The White House called a travel/photo lid at 3:03p.

in-town pool report #5 -- travel/photo lid lifted

Hi all,

At 5:20p, the WH lifted today's travel/photo lid and called a dinner lid until 7:30p. The in-town pool will gather at 7:40p to travel to Fort McNair to cover the President's arrival. You'll hear from me then.

in-town pool report #6 -- we're back

Good evening,

Pool gathered at the stakeout location at 7:40p. According to the updated schedule the White House sent out this afternoon, the president is expected to arrive at Fort McNair at 8:40p.

in-town pool report #7 — rolling

Pool is rolling to Fort McNair as of 7:44p.

in-town pool report #8

Pool came to a stop at Fort McNair at 8:06p, where it is 88 degrees, cloudy and very humid. It's quiet here, except for the assembled vans. An LED sign outside of a National Defense University building said "On the watch!"

POTUS is currently scheduled to land at 8:40p.

in-town pool report #9 - landing delay, evacuation bg

POTUS is now expected to land at 9:05p. A White House official sends this background:

Today, U.S. military flights evacuated approximately 1,100 U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and their families on 13 flights, 12 with C-17 sorties and one with a C-130. Now that we have established the flow, we expect those numbers to escalate.

We have evacuated more than 3,200 people so far, including our personnel. In addition to these more than 3,200 total evacuated, we have relocated nearly 2,000 Afghan special immigrants to the United States.

in-town pool report #10 — potus arrival

Marine One landed at 9:05p at Fort McNair. POTUS and the other passengers disembarked a moment later and walked together across the grass to the waiting vehicles.

Traveling with the President, per the WH:

Steve Ricchetti, Assistant to the President & Counselor to the President
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Yohannes Abraham, Deputy Assistant to the President & NSC Chief of Staff & Executive Secretary

Pool is rolling at 9:10p.

in-town pool report #11 — back at WH and lid

?The pool arrived back at the White House at 9:22p after an uneventful drive back from Fort McNair. Groups of people near the Washington monument stopped to take photos of the motorcade and wave as it passed.

Your pooler was unable to see POTUS exit his vehicle. The White House called a lid at 9:22p.