Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday defended President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to invite Taliban leaders to meet with him in the U.S. just days before the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace questioned whether it would have been politically prudent for Trump to personally attempt to negotiate a peace deal with members of the Islamic militant group at Camp David in Maryland.

“Who thought it was a good idea for the president of the United States to meet with Taliban leaders who have the blood of thousands of Americans on their hands just ... days before 9/11?” Wallace asked Pompeo.

The secretary of state said the White House had reflected on the “history of Camp David” and felt it was “perfectly appropriate” to extend the invitation to the Taliban leadership. The Taliban, an Islamic militant group in Afghanistan, recently reiterated its support for the 9/11 attacks.

“President Trump ultimately made the decision,” Pompeo said of the Camp David invite. “He said, ‘I want to talk to [Afghan President Ashraf Ghani], I want to talk to these Taliban negotiators, I want to look them in the eye.’”

“Lots of bad folks have come through that place,” he added, referring to Camp David. “There’s been lots of peace negotiations taking place. It’s almost always the case that you don’t get to negotiate with good guys.”