As we have recorded day after day, an unprecedented crisis is unfolding at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. On the one hand, there is a humanitarian disaster.In the past two weeks, approximately 70,000 people have passed through the airport waiting area, and the people waiting for processing and transportation are actually standing in their feces (read The State Department tells American citizens to leave Kabul Airport to go home, and other horror stories about our impending Kabul disaster). The Afghans, who had no priority, ended up flying to safety. Afghans who are worthy of our assistance are being abandoned.
A former CIA official organized the rescue of 500 Afghan interpreters and other special visa holders.
They arrived at the airport smoothly.
*Then was expelled by the State Department*https://t.co/RUcwJuxS80 pic.twitter.com/JMhN4c75kY
-Eric Umansky (@ericuman) August 24, 2021
read The 500 Afghan interpreters and other allies that the U.S. refused to travel to Kabul Airport more details.
In fact, at least six Afghans on the no-fly list have flown out of Kabul. The visa process has basically collapsed. No one seems to know how many Americans and allied nationals remain. The US government does not seem to have any real sense of urgency to find or repatriate American citizens.Our allies in Kabul despise our passivity, read The British evacuation commander says he has withdrawn from discussions between the U.S. and the Taliban plus the best rumors of the day.
At the strategic level, our reputation has been hit. Our enemies laugh at us, and our friends don’t trust us. Since the fall of Saigon in 1975, any credibility we have built has disappeared. The first Gulf War may never happen. Compared with a year ago in the United States who had a real role as president, it now appears that the possibility of a war with China is much greater.
All this has become complicated due to the limited collection of news from Kabul. The Information Bureau mostly evacuated its employees. Even if they are there, there are an incredible number of people who are more loyal to the Democratic Party than to the truth. There is almost nothing in the White House, State Department, or Department of Defense that is not obvious nonsense or otherwise untrustworthy. Instead of holding a hearing, the collapsed Congress could not recover from the recess and even questioned what happened to the Cabal in the White House.
Until yesterday.
Yesterday, two MPs, representing Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Peter Meijer (R-MI), flew into Kabul without notice and left about 24 hours later.
This reminds us why American values—when we live up to them—are important to people all over the world.
I have never talked to more civil servants, from the salty Marines to the most experienced State Department officials, who shed tears when describing their work.
— Seth Morton (@sethmoulton) August 25, 2021
We conducted this visit in secret to reduce the risk and impact on the mission. We insisted on leaving on an under-crew plane and in the seats designated for the crew so that we would not sit down from other people.
— Seth Morton (@sethmoulton) August 25, 2021
The heroism and selfless behavior we witnessed at the Hong Kong International Airport made the United States proud.
— Seth Morton (@sethmoulton) August 25, 2021
Even before September 11, we will not let everyone leave on time. Sadly and frustratingly, letting our personnel leave depends on maintaining the current strange relationship with the Taliban.
— Seth Morton (@sethmoulton) August 25, 2021
In the next few days, we will share more of what we have learned with our colleagues and the American people, but after meeting with the Marine Corps, soldiers, and State Department officials on the ground-we hope that the world will understand us first Never proud of being an American.
— Seth Morton (@sethmoulton) August 25, 2021
Some thoughts on this. I am not a fan of Moulton and Meijer. Major voted for the impeachment of President Trump, he has a major challenger, and I intend to donate money and do my best to send this cunning package. Moulton is a Democrat from Massachusetts, and it will tell you all about him. Having said that, I am very impressed with their trip. What impressed me even more is that they completed these trips without staff and accompanying persons.
But we can’t let the pesky people’s representative discover anything that the White House hasn’t formally clarified, can we?
The Pentagon and State Department officials cannot overemphasize the anger of Rep. Morton and Rep. Peter Major for flying to Afghanistan during the evacuation process. “It’s stupid and selfish. They are taking seats from Americans,” the official said https://t.co/oY9IBbg1iC
-John Hudson (@John_Hudson) August 25, 2021
The Washington Post went to the battle station to make shorthand for officials of the defense and state government Two MPs traveled to Kabul without authorization during evacuation.
Earlier on Tuesday, two members of Congress went to Kabul without authorization. Less than 24 hours later, they left on a flight used to evacuate American citizens, allies and vulnerable Afghans.
Seth Moulton (D-Mass, according to two people familiar with the matter who did not want to be named, said they were not authorized to talk about it in order to carry out the frantic rescue work.
It is not clear how the two lawmakers, who served in Iraq before being elected members of Congress, first entered Afghanistan. The trip was not confirmed by Morton’s office until the plane that evacuated the members of Congress left Afghan airspace. Meijer’s office did not respond to emails seeking comment.
This is the passport of journalism. We were told that no one knew they were in Afghanistan, but at the same time, they interfered with rescue efforts. In fact, no one on the ground called their boss and said, “We have two members of Congress here. What do you want them to see?” Moulton and Meijer kept very, very low-key press statements more than any press statement. Resounding.
But the White House was not happy at all and took time to slander them.
The cloak and dagger tour angered some officials in the Pentagon and the State Department, where diplomats, military officers and civil servants worked round-the-clock shifts at Washington and Kabul airports, evacuating thousands of people from the country every moment. day.
“It’s stupid and selfish,” said a senior government official who asked not to be named, who frankly assessed their travel. “They took their seats from the Americans and the Afghans in danger-while putting our diplomats and service personnel at greater risk-so they can have a moment in front of the camera.”
They flew to the UAE with their own dime instead of the congressional office’s money. They flew to Kabul in an empty US Air Force plane. Likewise, obviously, no one wants to tell them anyone in the chain of command that they are transporting two members of Congress. They left Kabul on a plane with many vacancies and used seats reserved for the crew to avoid crashing into passengers. Aircraft like this are not uncommon.
Yes, it’s like Berlin Air Transport
-streiff (@streiffredstate) August 25, 2021
Nancy Pelosi gave instructions that she did not want to see such a prank in the future.
As the House of Representatives will now resume its summer recess before September 20, Pelosi wrote to members of the House of Representatives “reiterating that the Ministry of Defense and the State Department have requested members not to travel to Afghanistan and the region during this dangerous period.” https://t.co/ZZIdS1iTPi
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) August 24, 2021
This is what I think we learned from this trip. First, it is impossible for all authorized Americans to leave Kabul. Biden is waiting for a de facto hostage situation to happen. Second, the White House was frightened by the idea that they might lose control of the transmission of information. Third, there seems to be a break in the chain of command between those trying to get things to the ground and their superior headquarters. Members of Congress just didn’t appear on the plane of the US Air Force, and no one in the Pentagon had heard of it. They will not walk around your business area, ask questions and interact with people in a day, nor will anyone fail to notify their headquarters. This fully illustrates the contempt for the person who directed the operation.
