Michigan Rep. Meijer Surprises The Military And Flys Into Kabul Unannounced; The Military Is Not Happy

I cannot believe I am actually saying this but I do agree with Rep. Nancy Pelosi on this one.  I also cannot believe that it took a Michigan freshman Republican Congressman to make me do so.

West Michigan Congressman Peter Meijer was scheduled to be on my show Monday morning.  When I reached out to his communications people to confirm his appearance that morning they informed me that he would not be able to call into the show due to a scheduling conflict and we rescheduled for next Wednesday, September 1^st at 10:06 am.

Now we know why he was unable to call into my show that day, he and a follow Congressman, Seth Moulton, D-Mass, were flying to Kabul Afghanistan unannounced for a surprise visit.

My concern is not that he went to see what was actually happening at the airport in Kabul.  My concern is that he and the other congressman did not inform the State Department or the military that they were coming.  Had they told them and they gave them pushback they then could have decided what to do next.

We are told that the military was not informed and did not find out about this visit by these politicians until the aircraft was inbound to the Kabul airport.  We are told and using my common sense would believe that the military was not very happy about this, in fact, they were “furious”.  They were “furious” because these congressmen made this surprise visit without any coordination with the diplomats or military commanders directing the evacuation.

Apparently, Meijer and Moulton may not have been aware that they are a bit busy and understaffed at the airport at this time.  Perhaps Meijer and Moulton did not realize that they did not have time for what I believe could be called a bipartisan political stunt.  At least both of them gave us an example of bipartisanship.

Meijer and Moulton issued a joint statement that said they flew there unannounced to “conduct oversight on the mission to evacuate Americans and our allies,” arguing that Members of Congress “have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch.”

In that statement they wrote:

“As Members of Congress, we have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch. 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, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand. 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.

Washington should be ashamed of the position we put our service members in, but they represent the best in America. These men and women have been run ragged and are still running strong. Their empathy and dedication to duty are truly inspiring. The acts of heroism and selflessness we witnessed at HKIA make America proud.

We came into this visit wanting, like most veterans, to push the president to extend the August 31st deadline. After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won’t get everyone out on time, even by September 11. Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.

In the coming days, we will have more to share with our colleagues and the American people about what we learned, but after meeting with Marines, soldiers, and dedicated State Department officials on the ground—we want the world to know first and foremost that we have never been prouder to be Americans.”

We came into this visit wanting, like most veterans, to push the president to extend the August 31st deadline. After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won’t get everyone out on time, even by September 11. Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.

In the coming days, we will have more to share with our colleagues and the American people about what we learned, but after meeting with Marines, soldiers, and dedicated State Department officials on the ground—we want the world to know first and foremost that we have never been prouder to be Americans."

A reporter from the Washington Post, John Hudson, tweeted out the following:

After hearing of what many are now calling a political stunt Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) stated:

"Given the urgency of this situation, the desire of some Members to travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding areas is understandable and reflective of the high priority that we place on the lives of those on the ground…However, I write to reiterate that the Departments of Defense and State have requested that Members not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger. Ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of individuals at risk requires the full focus and attention of the U.S. military and diplomatic teams on the ground in Afghanistan."

She went on to say that traveling to Afghanistan would:

"unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating America and Afghans at risk from Afghanistan."

I believe this is the first time I have ever agreed with something Nancy Pelosi said.  With Biden’s decision to do as the Taliban terrorist group told him to do and that is to get out by August 31^st or face the consequences, the military does not have time for this.