WASHINGTON — Two U.S. House lawmakers are receiving heat for flying unannounced into Kabul airport amid the chaotic evacuation of Americans and vulnerable Afghans, U.S. officials told the Associated Press.
Representatives Seth Moulton, a Democrat, and Republican Peter Meijer visited Afghanistan on Tuesday "to conduct oversight" on how military operations were ongoing, their offices wrote in a joint statement.
Officials complained the two could have taken up seats that would otherwise be given to those leaving the country. The AP reported members in the State Department and military were stunned; both had to move resources to provide security and information.
The Deeper Dive
- The bipartisan trip, their offices claim, was to "have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch" over an ongoing issue that has drawn bipartisan disapproval.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi discouraged members from taking trips to Afghanistan during ongoing evacuations.
- Both Moulton and Meijer have served in the military.
"As Members of Congress, we have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch,'" Moulton and Meijer said. "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."
CBS News reports both lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to extend his Aug. 31 deadline of withdrawing all U.S. forces from Afghanistan. They say, from what they've seen, not everyone will get "out on time, even by September 11."
Biden said Tuesday that the U.S. has evacuated more than 70,000 people since Aug. 14, with the country being set to meet the imposed deadline as it continues working with the Taliban.
In her request to lawmakers, Pelosi asked members not to travel to the region, citing a request from the Defense Department and State Department, according to CBS News. She said it would divert the necessary resources to continue the evacuation mission.
Regardless, there will be more to come "in the coming days" about their trip, said Moulton in a series of tweets. The Massachusetts Democrat has been in office since 2015 following tours to Iraq in the Marine Corps.
Meijer, a freshman congressman from Michigan, served the U.S. on tours to Iraq. His family owns the Meijer supermarket chain, with hundreds of stores located in the Midwest.