Congressmen make a secret trip to Afghanistan, shocking White House

As the Biden administration continues efforts to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies out of Kabul, a secret trip made by two members of Congress has left the White House furious. The video above shows Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby reacting to the trip.

Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours Tuesday. The two lawmakers are both military veterans, with backgrounds in the region.

Moulton served multiple tours in Iraq. Meijer was deployed as part of the Army Reserves and later worked in Afghanistan at a nongovernmental organization providing aid.

In addition to their military experience, both also hold committee positions important to the war in Afghanistan. Moulton serves on the House Armed Services Committee and Meijer is on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“As Members of Congress, we have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch,’” the two said in a joint statement. “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.”