2 US lawmakers' Kabul trip prompts questions, condemnation

WASHINGTON – Two members of Congress are facing condemnation and questions pursuing their astonishment sojourn to Afghanistan this week, which diverted resources from the U.S.'s chaotic withdrawal, enraged subject leaders and led House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to state it not “a bully idea.”

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., flew successful connected a charter Tuesday and were connected the crushed astatine the Kabul airdrome for respective hours earlier flying retired connected a subject plane.

They billed their “secret” sojourn arsenic an effort to behaviour legislature oversight of the Biden administration's handling of a rapidly deteriorating concern aft the Taliban's lightning accelerated takeover of the country.

But it stunned State Department and U.S. subject personnel. They said the resources needed to support the congressmen detracted from the evacuation effort and raised the anticipation that the lawmakers' formation retired could person deprived seats to different Americans oregon Afghans looking to fly the state earlier President Joe Biden's Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal.

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“We are evidently not encouraging VIP visits to a precise tense, unsafe and dynamic concern astatine that airdrome and wrong Kabul generally,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday, adding, “they surely took clip distant from what we had been readying to bash that day.”

The congressmen present look disapproval for showboating arsenic politicians — which they vehemently contradict — portion adding needless disorder to a dire situation. But they besides tapped into a vexation of those who consciousness that lasting by and doing thing is besides not an option.

Both are subject veterans, with backgrounds successful the region. Moulton, a Marine who has been an outspoken professional of the Iraq War, served aggregate tours successful Iraq. Meijer was deployed arsenic portion of the Army Reserves and aboriginal worked successful Afghanistan astatine a nongovernmental enactment providing aid. Moulton serves connected the House Armed Services Committee and Meijer is connected the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

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Their offices did not respond to requests for remark Wednesday. But successful a associated connection issued Tuesday night, Moulton and Meijer said they took seats that were already bare connected their formation retired and disputed suggestions they made the travel to “grandstand.”

“We came into this sojourn wanting, similar astir veterans, to propulsion the president to widen the August 31st deadline," their connection work “After talking with commanders connected the crushed and seeing the concern firsthand, it is evident that due to the fact that we started the evacuation truthful late, nary substance what we do, we won’t get everyone retired connected time.”

Back home, however, their effort received a chilly reception.

“This is deadly serious. We bash not privation members to go,” Pelosi said Wednesday, portion informing different lawmakers against pursuing suit. “It was not, successful my view, a bully idea.”

Striking a uncommon enactment of agreement, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy echoed Pelosi, saying his connection to different lawmakers who privation to sojourn Afghanistan is “not to go.”

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Members of Congress who privation to instrumentality specified a travel are required to person support from committee chairmen. Moulton did not consult successful beforehand with the House Armed Services Committee, according to an adjutant acquainted with the concern and granted anonymity to sermon it. McCarthy said Meijer besides did not question permission.

White House property caput Jen Psaki said the medication was likewise not made alert of the trip. She said their guidance to lawmakers was the aforesaid arsenic it was to each Americans.

“This is not the clip to question to Afghanistan,” she said.

Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas, the ranking Republican connected the Foreign Affairs Committee, called the travel a distraction, and advised others against it, but added, “I recognize the frustration.”

Rep. Sara Jacobs, a freshman California Democrat, was little sparing, tweeting, “Taking up abstraction successful a catastrophe portion for your ain ego helps nary one.”

Three officials acquainted with the travel said State Department, Defense Department and White House officials were furious due to the fact that it was done without coordination with diplomats oregon subject commanders directing the evacuation.

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The U.S. subject recovered retired astir the sojourn arsenic the legislators’ craft was en way to Kabul, according to the officials. The officials spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon ongoing subject operations.

One elder U.S. authoritative said the medication saw the sojourn arsenic manifestly unhelpful, and respective different officials said it was viewed arsenic a distraction for troops and commanders astatine the airdrome who are waging a contention against clip to evacuate thousands of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others.

The Pentagon has repeatedly expressed concerns astir information threats successful Kabul, including by the Islamic State group. When members of Congress person routinely gone to warfare zones implicit the past 2 decades, their visits are typically agelong planned and coordinated with officials connected the crushed successful bid to guarantee their safety.

“The secretary, I think, would person appreciated the accidental to person had a speech earlier the sojourn took place,” said Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman.

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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

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