‘I understand the frustration’: McCarthy criticizes Biden for two lawmakers’ trip to Kabul

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Minority Parliamentary Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Wednesday it was President Bidens’ fault that two members of Congress made an unannounced trip to Kabul airport to see the evacuation effort for themselves American.

Mr McCarthy said he understands why lawmakers, Republican Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan and Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, have taken matters into their own hands to monitor the situation on the ground in Afghanistan.

It’s not the best idea to go, but I understand their frustration with the lack of responses from this administration, Mr. McCarthy, Republican of California, said at a press conference.

He criticized the White House for failing to disclose the number of Americans still stranded in the country since the Taliban took power, saying this type of information prompted Mr Meijer and Mr Moulton to act.

They are both veterans. They are both frustrated. They have an administration that won’t tell them the answers about how many Americans are left, or which Afghans have likely worked with them and helped them, McCarthy said.

Earlier, Mr Meijer and Mr Moulton were criticized by Pentagon officials who said they had diverted troops from the American evacuation mission.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also said she did not think it was a good idea for the two lawmakers to visit Afghanistan at the moment.

Ms. Pelosi, a Democrat from California, wrote a letter to her dear colleague shortly after reports of Tuesday’s trip, warning members to follow the advice of the Defense and State Departments not to visit the region.

Mr Meijer and Mr Moulton defended their decision to go, saying they wanted to oversee the evacuation efforts, adding that they had taken safety precautions in advance.

The Biden administration is working to evacuate remaining U.S. military personnel from the country before the August 31 deadline.

President Biden said on Tuesday that more than 70,000 people had been evacuated from the country since mid-August.

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