Republicans Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy demand Biden give a briefing to the ‘Gang of Eight’ intelligence leaders on the chaotic Afghan withdrawal as GOP criticism continues
- The top Congressional Republicans are demanding that the Biden administration give the so-called ‘Gang of Eight’ a briefing on Afghanistan
- House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote a letter to Biden Thursday
- ‘It is of the utmost importance that the U.S. Government account for all U.S. citizens in Afghanistan,’ they argued
- On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby answered ‘I don’t know’ when asked how many Americans remained on the ground
- The Republican leaders said they also wanted to know about the ability of Americans to get to the Hamid Karzai International Airport
- They also wanted to know what was being done to help Americans living outside Afghanistan’s capital city
- And they wanted to know how many Americans were unaccounted for and why they hadn’t been reached
The top Congressional Republicans – House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – are demanding that the Biden administration give the so-called ‘Gang of Eight’ a briefing on the situation in Afghanistan.
‘It is of the utmost importance that the U.S. Government account for all U.S. citizens in Afghanistan and provide the necessary information and means of departure to all those Americans who desire to leave the country,’ the Republican leaders said in a letter Thursday, obtained by Fox News.
McConnell and McCarthy said they wanted to be briefed on the number and location of all Americans still on the ground in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby answered ‘I don’t know’ when asked how many Americans remained there.
In Wednesday’s interview with George Stephanopoulos, Biden didn’t object to the ABC News anchor’s estimate of 10,000 to 15,000 Americans in Afghanistan.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (left) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (right) are demanding that the Biden administration give the so-called ‘Gang of Eight’ a briefing on the situation in Afghanistan
The Republicans want to be briefed on the situation at Kabul’s airport and how Americans are getting through Taliban checkpoints. On Monday droves of Afghans were seen running alongside a C-17 Air Force plane departing Kabul
The Republicans wanted the ‘Gang of Eight’ – consisting of House and Senate leadership and leaders of the Intelligence committees – to be briefed on the U.S.’s communications with the Taliban
Biden also estimated that there were between 50,000 and 65,000 Afghans that were eligible to be airlifted out of the countrzy.
The Republican leaders said they also wanted to know about the ability of Americans to get to the Hamid Karzai International Airport from inside Kabul – and what the U.S. government’s plan was for Americans living outside Afghanistan’s capital city.
They asked to be updated on communications with both the Taliban and Americans currently in Afghanistan.
And they wanted to know how many Americans were unaccounted for and why they hadn’t been reached.
The GOP leaders didn’t mention the evacuation of Afghans as a top meeting topic in their letter.
The ‘Gang of Eight’ includes McCarthy, McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as the chair and ranking member of both the House and Senate Intelligence committees.
Reporting from the ground showed westerners and Afghans having difficulty getting to Kabul’s airport, with Taliban fighters standing in their way.
On Wednesday, CNN’s Clarissa Ward stated, ‘I’ve covered all sorts of crazy situations. This was mayhem. This was nuts.’
‘This was impossible for an ordinary civilian – even if they have their paperwork. No way they’re running that gauntlet, no way they’re going to be able to navigate that,’ Ward said. ‘It’s very dicey, it’s very dangerous, it’s completely unpredictable. There’s no order, there’s no coherent system for processing people.’
ABC News’ Ian Pannell reported Wednesday that he and his crew were stopped en route to the airport, despite showing fighters Taliban-issued paperwork. They were made to get back in their vehicles.