A bipartisan pair of congressmen, Reps. Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Seth Moulton (D-MA), embarked on a secret trip to Afghanistan to see the real situation first hand. The pair, both veterans, sought to provide oversight to the evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan, as the Biden administration continues to refuse transparency on the situation. The lawmakers also urged the president to extend the August 31 deadline.
Today with @RepMeijer I visited Kabul airport to conduct oversight on the evacuation.
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) August 25, 2021
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
The secret trip was met with criticism from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and the Biden administration. Meijer defended the trip on Wednesday night, and criticized the Biden administration’s lack of accurate information.
“We had to know what was going on, on the ground in Kabul. We have not had the information we need from the administration and [we] realized we were being lied to up and down. And we needed to see for ourselves,” Meijer told Fox News’ Bret Baier on Wednesday.
Asked about the scene on the ground, Meijer said it was “unlike anything” he had seen before.
“The gates to the airport are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The throng of individuals, oftentimes thousands deep, are desperate for a new life, desperate for opportunity...it is a chaotic, just incredibly dangerous involvement. We are putting our soldiers and Marines in an impossible situation."
The congressman called the criticism from the administration “frankly laughable” as the situation continues to escalate.
“The opprobrium from the Defense Department, from the White House, from the State Department is frankly laughable. Right now, they have done everything they can to obstruct the situation, to deny this reality, and, frankly, to hide facts from the American people.”
Explosions were seen outside the Kabul airport on Thursday morning, with American deaths reported, and President Biden has not yet responded.