Reps. Peter Meijer (left) and Seth Moulton.Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty; Alex Wong/Getty
Two Congressmen who made a surprise trip to the Afghanistan capital this week to observe the ongoing evacuation are defending themselves — and the insightsthey say they gained— after criticism for what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called a dangerous “freelance” journey.
Peter Meijer, a Michigan Republican, and Massachusetts Democrat Seth Moulton said they took the trip on Tuesday “to conduct oversight on the mission to evacuate Americans and our allies” which was launched amid the U.S. military withdrawal and Taliban takeover.
The evacuation operation, initially criticized as clumsy and too slow, has ramped up in recent days and has now ferried more than 100,000 people to safety, the White House says.
“As Members of Congress, we have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch,” Meijer and Moulton said in a joint statement to PEOPLE and other outlets. “There is no place in the world right now where oversight matters more.”
Both men are veterans: Meijer was an Army reservist who served as an intelligence adviser in Iraq and Moulton was in the Marine Corps in Iraq.
Meijer and Moulton said they kept their trip a secret “to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand. We left on a plane with empty seats, seated in crew-only seats to ensure that nobody who needed a seat would lose one because of our presence.”
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In an interview withNew Yorkmagazine, Moulton insisted they had the “lightest footprint” and that they had tried to get official permission, though a congressional committee spokeswoman denied that.
Moulton was at Kabul’s airport for about 15 hours, according toNew York.
“I’ve never seen more people cry, just salty Marines, seasoned State Department veterans just break down in tears, talking about their work, and hugging me, and saying thank you for coming,” he toldNew Yorkof what he saw at the airport.
He had sharp words, too, for PresidentJoe Bidenwhom he argued had not properly prepared for the evacuations to go along with the withdrawal as the U.S. ended its 20-year war.
“The thing that everybody needs to understand, even if you completely agree with the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw, the way they have handled this has been a total f—— disaster,” Moulton toldNew York.
The White House, in its defense, has said it is committed to helping all U.S. citizens and Afghan allies who want to leave and that the tens of thousands of evacuees so far represent an enormous logistical success.
It also reportedly drew the ire of the Biden administration and Pelosi sent a letter to all House members warning them not to try to go to Afghanistan in the middle of a crisis.
She said it was “deadly serious.”
“Ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of individuals at risk requires the full focus and attention of the U.S. military and diplomatic teams on the ground in. Afghanistan,” she wrote. “Member travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding countries would unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating American and Afghans at risk from Afghanistan.”
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Politicoreportedthat Moulton and Meijer paid “out of pocket” for their own flights to the United Arab Emirates and then took military flights to and from Kabul.
Both lawmakers said they oppose Biden’s plan to meet an Aug. 31 for the withdrawal of American troops.
“Washington should be ashamed of the position we put our service members in, but they represent the best in America,” the pair said in their statement. “These men and women have been run ragged and are still running strong.
Biden has said that while his administration will continue to support people who want to leave Taliban rule in Afghanistan, the war and its numerous costs must end.
Pelosi, in her letter, said she understands “the desire of some members to travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding areas is understandable,” but also “not a good idea” for lawmakers to try and see the situation in Kabul for themselves.
“Really, we’re trying to get people out,” she said.
If you would like to support those in need during the upheaval in Afghanistan, consider:
Donating toUNICEFto aid Afghans in the country or
Donating to theInternational Refugee Assistance Projectto help those fleeing.
source: people.com
