Jen Psaki, White House press secretary. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Al Drago / POOL) 
"This is a caretaker Cabinet," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. "No one in this administration, not the president nor anyone on the national security team, would suggest that the Taliban are respected and valued members of the global community. They have not earned that in any way, and we've never assessed that."
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Steve Holland and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Leslie Adler)