Two persons familiar with the incident informed The Washington Post that Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) conducted an illegal journey to Kabul on Tuesday, angering many officials at the State Department and Pentagon.
With the Taliban in control of Afghanistan, US officials are working around the clock to remove American residents, as well as Afghan interpreters and contractors, out of the country. The Kabul airport is manned by US soldiers, and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned on Sunday that the potential of an Islamic State strike on the facility is "real" and "acute."
Both Moulton and Meijer served in Iraq and are vocal opponents of President Biden's Afghanistan plan. They traveled to the United Arab Emirates first, then "figured out a way onto an empty military flight going into Kabul." according to Moulton's spokesman Tim Biba. They left less than 24 hours after arriving, taking up space on an airplane used for evacuations by the US. Moulton and Meijer, according to Biba, decided ahead of time that they would only leave Kabul if they could get on a plane with at least three empty seats, avoiding taking a seat that could have been used by an evacuee.
"They ensured the flight was not going to be full," Biba explained. "They also believe this method of travel, which will take them to an area where evacuees have been temporarily relocated, will provide them with additional information and increase their ability to provide oversight." Moulton and Meijer told the Washington Post in a joint statement that they spoke with service soldiers and State Department officials in Kabul and believe Biden should extend the deadline for evacuating Americans and vulnerable Afghans from Afghanistan until August 31.
Several US officials and diplomats retaliated against the congressmen, claiming that they were distracting military and civilian employees who were desperately attempting to transport people out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. This, according to one enraged ambassador, was "One of the most irresponsible acts I've ever seen a legislator commit. It is completely deserving of reprimand." The trip, according to another senior administration official, was "interesting." "It's as baffling as it is self-serving. They're stealing seats away from Americans and at-risk Afghans, putting our diplomats and service members in greater danger, all so they may have a photo opportunity."
