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- Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle denounced a “secret” trip to Kabul by two members of Congress.
- Representatives Seth Moulton and Peter Meijer traveled to Afghanistan to push President Biden to extend the August 31 evacuation deadline.
- But several U.S. officials and lawmakers criticized them for the fact-finding trip, citing the potential risks.
Two members of Congress who traveled to Kabul after the Taliban takeover have faced bipartisan criticism over their “secret” fact-finding trip.
Representative Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Representative Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, chartered a direct flight to Afghanistan in an attempt to push President Joe Biden to extend the August 31 deadline for evacuating the Americans and other people who helped the United States. .
“We made this trip in secret, only talking about it after we left, to minimize the risk and disruption to people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to speak out. “said the veteran lawmakers. in a declaration Tuesday.
“Washington should be ashamed of the position in which we place our military, but they represent the best in America,” they added.
In the statement, Moulton and Meijer said that “after speaking with the commanders on the ground and seeing the situation” in Kabul, he believes it will likely not be possible to complete the evacuations within the timeframe set by the House. White.
“Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current and bizarre relationship with the Taliban,” lawmakers said.
Moulton and Meijer’s trip drew reactions from both sides of the aisle on Wednesday, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
“This is extremely serious,” Pelosi said. “There is real concern that members are in the area. “
In a letter sent Tuesday evening, Pelosi urged lawmakers not to travel to Afghanistan and warned that such trips could “unnecessarily divert necessary resources from the priority mission to safely and quickly evacuate Americans and Afghans at Risk from Afghanistan “.
Read more: Meet Rep. Peter Meijer, the 33-year-old Republican who voted to impeach Trump comes from a family of Michigan supermarket billionaires, and he legislates with a “YOLO” mindset
GOP leader McCarthy also said he understood the initiative of the two lawmakers, but believed the trip could “have put people at risk.”
“I explained to them that I don’t think they should do it,” he told a press conference. “I think that creates a greater risk. You’ve got enough Americans out there that could be taken hostage. They would take stock of a congressman. I think you’re preventing the military from doing their job. get as many Americans as we can. “
Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, told MSNBC on Wednesday that he believed the trip was “a pretty irresponsible thing for these two members.”
“At the end of the day, we’re just trying to secure our troops and our soldiers, we’re trying to get as many people out as possible, and the only thing I thought about when I heard that was how many Afghan women and children weren’t able to be evacuated yesterday because they had to withdraw the Marines from the line or from rest to ensure the safety of the VIPs? ” Raven said. “It shouldn’t have happened.”
GOP Representative Mike Gallagher told Fox News he thought the trip was a “publicity stunt.”
“As for members going to Afghanistan alone, I think that’s a bad idea,” he said. “I think it’s a publicity stunt, and I think it’s actually counterproductive to get as many people out as possible.”
Representative Sara Jacobs, a California Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, also denounced the trip on Twitter.
“Whether in Haiti or Afghanistan, taking space in a disaster area for your own ego does not help anyone,” she said. tweeted.
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