Pelosi admonishes congressmen who flew to Kabul amid evacuation efforts


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday spoke out against Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) traveling to Kabul on Tuesday, saying this diverted resources amid efforts to get Americans and at-risk Afghans out of Afghanistan.
"It's not just about them going to Afghanistan, but in going to the region, because there's a call on our resources diplomatically, politically, militarily in the region as well, so this is deadly serious," Pelosi told reporters. She said the congressmen were supposed to get approval from committee chairs before traveling, and Moulton never received authorization from the Democratic side. "The point is that we don't want anybody to think this was a good idea and that they should try to follow suit," Pelosi added.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said later on Wednesday that he didn't think it was "right" that Moulton and Meijer went to Kabul, but he can understand "their frustration of why they would want to go. ... They realize it's life and death so yes, they made a decision to try to do something on their own." He also said he's explained to other members of Congress who want to fly to Kabul that "I think it creates a greater risk ... you take military away from doing their job of getting as many Americans out as we can."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A spokesman for Moulton told The Washington Post on Tuesday that the congressmen, both veterans who served in Iraq, were in Kabul for less than 24 hours, and flew out on a plane that had extra room. After their trip made headlines, Pelosi sent a letter reminding members of Congress that the State Department and Defense Department have asked lawmakers to stay away from Afghanistan, as their presence "would unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating Americans and Afghans at risk from Afghanistan."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
5 artfully drawn cartoons about Donald Trump's Epstein doodle
Cartoons Artists take on a mountainous legacy, creepy art, and more
-
Violent videos of Charlie Kirk’s death are renewing debate over online censorship
Talking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants