While the U.S. evacuates tens of thousands of Americans and Afghans after the Taliban took over the country, two members of Congress went secretly to Kabul, Afghanistan.
Iraq War veterans Seth Moulton and Peter Meijer, both members of Congress and Iraq War veterans visited the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Tuesday “to conduct oversight.” Their offices said in a statement after they departed Afghanistan.
“There is no place in the world right now where oversight matters more. We conducted this visit in secret, speaking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground. Because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand,” the statement reads.
“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,” the statement added.
Both lawmakers express doubt that the U.S. will finish the evacuations in time and call on President Joe Biden to extend his August 31 deadline.
Biden said Tuesday that the U.S. would meet the deadline if the Taliban cooperates to allow the airport access.
