More Damning Evidence from my Afghanistan Investigation

As chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I am continuing my investigation into the Biden administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. This past week, I released transcripts of my interviews with top State Department officials who oversaw the evacuation — and their testimony is damning. 

After hours of closed-door interviews, these officials revealed that the Biden administration had no plan for the evacuation of American citizens and our allies until it was too late. 

To make matters worse, Derek Chollet, counselor to the State Department and Secretary Blinken’s senior most adviser throughout the deadly withdrawal, has been nominated by President Biden for a high-level role in the Pentagon. 

I have spoken against his confirmation as undersecretary of defense for policy. Mr. Chollet failed to take accountability for his role in the calamitous withdrawal and should not be allowed to make high stakes decisions pertaining to our national security and the livelihood of our service members. 

Simply put, the administration was unprepared for the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and it cost the lives of 13 U.S. service members and injured countless others, while demonstrating American weakness on the world stage. I’m proud that my investigation has yielded hard evidence that will hold the Biden administration accountable to make sure that this never happens again. 

Click on the image to read more about my investigation from Axios: