Republican Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer was in Kabul, Afghanistan on an unauthorized secret trip with Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, just two days after a suicide bomber had killed 13 U.S. military personnel and many civilians at the airport's Abbey Gate.
We were told that it was less chaotic than others on that day. In an interview with Meijer, Meijer stated that we had planned to visit the Washington Examiner in the time when there's less chaos, and during the hotter parts of the day. There are many concerns and fears about such an attack.
Both of them were veterans of the Iraq War. However, they tried to limit their time in high-threat areas. They did however visit the checkpoints and gates that thousands of Afghans use to enter the country to flee.
Each minute that a gate was opened saved lives. Meijer stated that it was because they were selfless in their service. Those men who gave their lives for others saved many lives.
Meijer, Moulton and their time at the airport were cut short by President Joe Biden's leak to the Washington Post that they were there illegally to assess the situation and to get answers regarding the evacuation operation. They, along with other veterans of Congress, had been pressing the administration for months to speed up processing Special Immigrant Visa applications.
PAIR OF MILITARY VETERANS IN CONGRESS MAKE SECRET, UNAUTHORIZED TRIP TO KABUL
Meijer stated that Moulton and he made the trip because they believed the Biden administration was lying.
Meijer stated, "That there wasn't residual al Qaeda presence that there weren't Americans stranded, and that the Taliban wasn’t obstructing entry to the airport for American citizens I meant, those are all quickly disproven." I have lost all faith in this administration's honesty and forthrightness.
Continue the story
He said that the troops who carried out the evacuation were more than we could imagine.
Meijer stated that they were both in awe at how they managed to execute complex operations under extreme pressure and still manage to run themselves ragged.
He described it as heartbreaking to watch experienced professionals break down and say that they didn't want to go to another ramp ceremony. It is a memorial to a fallen soldier and his body is then loaded onto an aircraft. Then, two days later, the U.S. military sees the most tragic day in 10 years.
The trip also changed his mind about another critical policy criticism, the Tuesday deadline to remove all troops from the country. Meijer last week warned that the deadline was causing chaos and panic at the airport.
Meijer stated that after talking to commanders, people on the ground and others, we realized that this situation was not one where we can be flexible. Our forces could easily engage the Taliban. We have a lot of firepower. However, it would mean the loss of untold number of American servicemen. It would end all possibilities of continuing evacuations of large numbers permanent residents and special visa holders.
He said that the situation was impossible to resolve.
None of the people we spoke with didn't realize how bizarre and, just upside down, it is that the Taliban are our security partners and force protection. There are people there who have spent most of their lives on kill-or capture missions against the Taliban. Now they're deconflicting.
Moulton and Meijer spent several days planning the trip logistics. When it was all put together, it took hours to get to the airport to fly self-funded. Meijer wouldn't go into details about how he used non U.S. resources in order to reach Kabul. The plan was to fly on a non-U.S. aircraft, but they flew on a military plane once news reached the White House.
The White House, Pentagon and congressional leaders condemned the trip. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that the trip was "deadly serious" and sent two letters to her colleagues warning them to not travel to Afghanistan. Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader, also stated that member travel to Afghanistan poses a greater risk.
Meijer stated that we felt it was our responsibility. We were able be self-sufficient, and did so in a manner that was minimally invasive and as disruptive as possible. We also had the advantage of civil networks on the ground that were available to help us.
Meijer stated that he had briefed one his committees and the other members of the board about what he had learned. He declined to confirm if he had spoken with McCarthy or Pelosi.
Moulton and Meijer visited Kabul to see processing facilities for Afghans leaving the country for Kuwait and Qatar. He said that while the officials do a good job, they are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people.
He was impressed by the speed of his processing. Meijer saw an American citizen with a green card and his children at the Abbey gate. He was getting ready to board a plane. He saw the family at the Kuwait processing and vetting stage the next day.
A wave of Republicans demanded that Biden and his administration resign or are impeached following the Thursday suicide bombing.
Meijer stated that she understands the frustration. As someone who is still receiving messages and relaying them hourly, I am acutely aware that we are still in this crisis.
He said that it was honorable for some individuals to resign if they advised Biden on the horribly mismanaged withdrawal.
Meijer stated that we need to be held accountable for the disastrously failed withdrawal. A 9/11-style commission on the War on Terrorism for the past 20 years is something I support. This is a failure which has made a thousand sons.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM THE WASHINGTON XAMINER
He suggested that Congress vote on war power authorizations every two years.
Meijer stated that we would be more invested in the outcome and would have given military officials and the president's staff more scrutiny to support the continued mission. Imagine that for every arms sale, you would need a majority in the Senate and the House to approve it.
Washington Examiner Videos
Tags: News, Congress and Afghanistan, Interview with Joe Biden
Original Author: Emily Brooks
Original Location: Meijer lost all faith in the Biden administration honesty after a secret Kabul trip
