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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday criticized two House members’ red trip to Afghanistan during the ongoing and dangerous military evacuation effort from Kabul.
Pelosi, D-Calif., Said Reps Peter Meijer, R-Mich., And Seth Moulton, D-Mass., Wanted to “fend for themselves” when the two lawmakers traveled to Afghanistan this week without approval. of direction. She said the trip put them in jeopardy and strained resources that should have been used to evacuate the Americans and others.
“This is extremely serious,” Pelosi said at a press conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday. “You don’t want the members to leave.”
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Moulton had previously challenged Pelosi’s leadership when he made unsuccessful efforts in 2017 and 2019 to find another Democratic leader, but he supported Pelosi’s presidency that year. Meijer is a first-year GOP congressman who opposed his party leadership when he voted to impeach former President Trump for the Jan.6 riot.
Moulton and Meijer, both military veterans, have defended their secret trip to Kabul as necessary surveillance and not as a way to show off.
“Like many veterans, we have spent the past few weeks working without sleep trying to get as many people as possible through the doors and to safety,” Moulton and Meijer said in a joint statement.
In this October 14, 2020 file photo, Peter Meijer, then Republican candidate for Congress from Michigan’s 3rd District, speaks at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo / Carlos Osorio, file)
They expressed frustration that America would not be able to complete the evacuation before President Biden’s planned withdrawal date of August 31.
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“Washington should be ashamed of the position we place our military in – they represent the best in America,” lawmakers said. “These men and women have been roughed up and still run hard. Their empathy and dedication to duty is truly inspiring. The acts of heroism and selflessness we have witnessed… should make America proud.”
The pair of lawmakers received a backlash from their colleagues for the trip.
In this Tuesday, February 12, 2019, file photo, Representative Seth Moulton, D-Mass., Speaks to the Brookings Institution in Washington about his vision for the future of U.S. foreign policy. (AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster, file)
Representative Gregory Meeks, DN.Y., the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who generally approves international visits, said he was surprised and shocked by the secret trip. Florida GOP representative Brian Mast, a veteran, said the unexpected trip could create a dangerous situation and another headache for US troops in Kabul.
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Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Told Fox “America’s Newsroom” Wednesday that he understood the frustration the two members felt over the situation in Afghanistan, but he did not tolerate their secret trip. .
“I don’t think it’s the best decision because you put people at risk as a member of Congress,” McCarthy said.
Meanwhile, Pelosi lamented the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and how women’s educational and leadership gains over the past 20 years are now “under threat.”
“It’s a tragic situation,” Pelosi said.
Caroline McKee of Fox News contributed to this report.
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