Amid chaotic evacuation efforts, 2 congressmen made secret, unauthorized trip to Kabul


Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) made an unauthorized trip to Kabul on Tuesday, leaving several officials at the State Department and Pentagon furious, two people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.
With the Taliban now effectively in control of Afghanistan, U.S. officials are working around the clock to try to get American citizens and Afghan translators and contractors who worked for the U.S. military out of the country. There are U.S. troops at the Kabul airport, and on Sunday National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned that the threat of an attack by the Islamic State against the facility is "real" and "acute."
Moulton and Meijer are both veterans who served in Iraq and critics of President Biden's Afghanistan strategy. Moulton's spokesman Tim Biba told the Post they first flew to the United Arab Emirates and then "figured out a way onto an empty military flight going into Kabul." They left less than 24 hours after they arrived, taking up space on an airplane the United States is using for evacuations. Biba said Moulton and Meijer decided ahead of time they would only leave Kabul if they could get on a plane with at least three empty seats, so they weren't taking a spot that could have been used by an evacuee.
Subscribe to 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.
"They ensured the flight was not going to be full," Biba said. "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." In a joint statement, Moulton and Meijer told the Post they spoke with service members and State Department officials in Kabul, and believe Biden should extend the Aug. 31 deadline to evacuate Americans and vulnerable Afghans from Afghanistan.
Several U.S. officials and diplomats pushed back at the congressmen, saying they distracted military and civilian workers who are frantically trying to get people out of Afghanistan as quickly as possible. One irate diplomat told the Post this was "one of the most irresponsible things I've heard a lawmaker do. It absolutely deserves admonishment." Another senior administration official described the jaunt as being "as moronic as it is selfish. They're taking seats away from Americans and at-risk Afghans — while putting our diplomats and service members at greater risk — so they can have a moment in front of the cameras." Read more at The Washington Post.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
Critics push back as the government goes after Job Corps
The Explainer For at-risk teens, the program has been a lifeline
-
5 horror movies to sweat out this summer
The Week Recommends A sequel, a reboot and a follow up from the director of 'Barbarian' highlight the upcoming scary movie slate
-
Bryan Burrough's 6 favorite books about Old West gunfighters
Feature The Texas-raised author recommends works by T.J. Stiles, John Boessenecker, and more
-
Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential election
speed read Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attack
speed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'
-
Starving Gazans overrun US-backed food aid hub
speed read Israeli troops fired warning shots at the Palestinians
-
Israel's Western allies pull back amid Gaza escalation
speed read Britain and the EU are reconsidering allegiance with Israel as the Gaza siege continues
-
Trump drops ceasefire demand after Putin call
speed read Following a phone call with Russia's president, Trump backed off an earlier demand that Putin agree to an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine
-
Pro-EU centrist beats Trump acolyte in Romania vote
speed read The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talks
speed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%