Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi warned against lawmakers going to Afghanistan and unnecessarily diverting needed resources as fury erupted among Biden officials after two combat veteran members traveled in secret to Kabul.
“Ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of individuals at risk requires the full focus and attention of the U.S. military and diplomatic teams on the ground in Afghanistan,” Pelosi stated in a letter on Tuesday. She warned lawmakers not to travel to the “region during this time of danger.”
Her letter was issued after Reps. Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) secretly went to Afghanistan this week to conduct “oversight on the executive branch” and to have a first-hand look at just how badly President Biden has botched the Afghanistan evacuations and troop drawdown following the fall of the country to the Taliban.
“As veterans we care deeply about the situation on the ground at Hamid Karzai International Airport,” they said in a joint statement. “America has a moral obligation to our citizens and loyal allies, and we must make sure that obligation is being kept.”
New: Pelosi sends Dear Colleague reiterating to members that they should *not* try to travel to Afghanistan/nearby regions
She adds that she has asked WH for more briefings to "keep members informed of developments." pic.twitter.com/5mH2WjbKbP
— Sarah Ferris (@sarahnferris) August 24, 2021
“There is no place in the world right now where oversight matters more. We conducted this visit in secret, speaking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand,” Moulton and Meijer, both Iraq War veterans, declared.
“After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won’t get everyone out on time, even by September 11. Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban,” the lawmakers noted.
Today with @RepMeijer I visited Kabul airport to conduct oversight on the evacuation.
Witnessing our young Marines and soldiers at the gates, navigating a confluence of humanity as raw and visceral as the world has ever seen, was indescribable. pic.twitter.com/bWGQh1iw2c
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) August 25, 2021
Moulton and Meijer gave House leaders and the Armed Services Committee no notice concerning their trip, a senior Democratic leadership aide claimed.
The two House members paid for their own flights to the United Arab Emirates. Once they arrived there, they boarded a military flight to get to Afghanistan. They were in Kabul for approximately 16 hours, from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“We left on a plane with empty seats, seated in crew-only seats to ensure that nobody who needed a seat would lose one because of our presence,” the two veterans stated.
Currently, the Biden administration is claiming they have evacuated 70,700 people from Afghanistan and that 12,000 of those were rescued in the last 12 hours. There is no word on how many of those are Americans. Thousands are trapped behind enemy lines in the country as the Aug. 31st deadline approaches.
While Biden is claiming that everyone can be gotten out by the 31st, leaders on both sides of the political aisle are saying it just isn’t possible. The military started leaving Afghanistan on Tuesday.
The Taliban are now reportedly forbidding Afghans to go to the airport in Kabul.
“The world has truly never seen anything like what America is doing in Kabul this week — deeply tragic and highly heroic. Fear and desperation at their worst; hope and humanity at their finest,” Moulton stated.
“Washington should be ashamed of the position we put our service members in, but they represent the best in America,” he remarked. “These men and women have been run ragged and are still running strong. Their empathy and dedication to duty are truly inspiring.”
The world has truly never seen anything like what America is doing in Kabul this week—deeply tragic and highly heroic. Fear and desperation at their worst; hope and humanity at their finest.
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) August 25, 2021
Washington should be ashamed of the position we put our service members in, but they represent the best in America. These men and women have been run ragged and are still running strong. Their empathy and dedication to duty are truly inspiring.
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) August 25, 2021
Reps. Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) after a secret visit to Kabul that has infuriated some officials at the Pentagon and the State Department: "Washington should be ashamed of the position we put our service members in, but they represent the best in America.” pic.twitter.com/AloMowUMJ5
— Matt Viser (@mviser) August 25, 2021
Moulton claimed he was deeply moved by the dedication of U.S. service members that are stationed at the Kabul airport.
Meijer called out Biden over the Aug. 31st deadline, “This is what breaking promises looks like. Prove me wrong @POTUS – extend the 8/31 deadline and get our people out. We can’t change the past, but we still have time to make this last part right. @WHCOS”
This is what breaking promises looks like. Prove me wrong @POTUS – extend the 8/31 deadline and get our people out. We can’t change the past, but we still have time to make this last part right. @WHCOS https://t.co/uaRNhv6caF
— Rep. Peter Meijer (@RepMeijer) August 24, 2021
Damn proud of our men and women in uniform in Afghanistan right now. We owe it to them to commit to whatever support they need in order to complete the mission and rescue American citizens and our loyal Afghan allies in harm’s way! https://t.co/3QVcM1STOr
— Rep. Peter Meijer (@RepMeijer) August 23, 2021
The Washington Post reported that the clandestine trip enraged officials at the Pentagon and at the State Department. “It’s as moronic as it is selfish,” commented an anonymous senior administration official. “They’re taking seats away from Americans and at-risk Afghans — while putting our diplomats and service members at greater risk — so they can have a moment in front of the cameras.”
“It’s one of the most irresponsible things I’ve heard a lawmaker do,” said an anonymous diplomat. “It absolutely deserves admonishment.”
(Video Credit: MSNBC)
“We can confirm that we advise against any Americans, whether elected or not, attempting to travel to Kabul right now,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Tuesday in an attempt at damage control. “The focus must continue to be evacuating American citizens and our Afghan partners who fought alongside us for the last twenty years, and that is best left in the hands of our the Department of Defense and the State Department.”
“It’s selfish, irresponsible, and dangerous for our brave women and men on the ground. They will be occupying seats on their return to the U.S. that should be going to those in need,” a U.S. official told CBS News. However, it should be noted that was not the case. They were in seats not designated for passengers and it is being widely reported that those planes are half empty.
A senior Biden administration official also told CBS News, “Whether intended or not, this is nothing but a distraction at a moment when time is key and every seat on planes leaves should be for someone trying to get out of Afghanistan.”
In other words, it makes President Biden look bad.
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