Two members of Congress secretly traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan, as the U.S. evacuated tens of thousands of vulnerable Americans and Afghans after the country fell to the Taliban.
Representatives Seth Moulton, a Democrat, and Republican Peter Meijer, both veterans of the Iraq war, made a furtive visit to Hamid Karzai International Airport on Tuesday “to oversee” the evacuation, according to their offices in a statement after leaving Afghanistan.
“At the moment there is no place in the world where supervision matters more. We have made this visit in secret, talking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and inconvenience to people on the ground and because there we were there to gather information, not by tribune, “the statement said.
“We went out on a plane with empty seats, sitting only in crew seats to make sure no one who needed a seat lost it because of our presence,” the statement added.
Both lawmakers wanted President Joe Biden to extend the Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan, and after his trip, they expressed doubt that the U.S. could end evacuations in time. .
“After talking to the commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it’s obvious that since we started the evacuation so late, that we do what we do, we won’t get everyone out on time, even on 9/11. Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current strange relationship with the Taliban, ”they said.
Mr. Biden dit Tuesday that the United States is “on pace” to meet the deadline, but that also depends on the Taliban cooperation by allowing access to the airport.
Biden said the U.S. has evacuated more than 70,000 people since Aug. 14 I have said repeatedly they don’t know how many Americans there are in the country, but they promised to get all Americans who want to leave Afghanistan out.
Moulton and Meijer faced criticism from other government officials for the unauthorized trip.
“We can confirm that we do not advise any American, elected or not, to try to travel to Kabul right now,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday afternoon. “The focus must continue to be on the evacuation of American citizens and our Afghan partners who have fought alongside us for the past twenty years, and that is best left in the hands of our Department of Defense and the Department of Defense. ‘State’.
“It’s selfish, irresponsible and dangerous for our brave women and men on the ground. They will occupy seats on their return to the U.S. that should go to those who need it,” a U.S. official told CBS News.
A senior administration official also explains to CBS News: “Whether intended or not, this is nothing more than a distraction at a time when time is of the essence and every place on airplanes comes out for someone trying. to leave Afghanistan. “
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged members of Congress not to travel to Afghanistan or the region, citing a request from the Department of Defense and the State Department.
“Ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of people at risk requires the attention and full attention of U.S. military and diplomatic teams on the ground in Afghanistan. Members’ trips to Afghanistan and the countries of the United States around unnecessarily diverting the necessary resources from the priority security mission and quickly evacuating the United States and Afghans in danger from Afghanistan, ”Pelosi wrote to lawmakers on Tuesday.
In a series of tweets, Moulton said he was deeply moved by the dedication of American service members stationed at Kabul airport.
“The world has never seen anything like what the United States does in Kabul this week: deeply tragic and very heroic. Fear and despair at worst; hope and humanity at its best,” he said . “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 baffled and remain strong. Their empathy and dedication to duty is truly inspiring.” .
Ed O’Keefe contributed the reports.