U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton's Surprise Trip To Afghanistan Draws Ire

SALEM, MA — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton is defending his unannounced trip to Kabul, Afghanistan alongside U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer amid criticism that their presence at the airbase was unauthorized and drew security resources away from the evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies in the country.

Moulton, a former U.S. Marine and Iraq War veteran, said in a joint statement with Meijer that "America has a moral obligation to our citizens and loyal allies, and we must make sure that obligation is being kept.

"Like many veterans, we have spent the last few weeks working without sleep to try to get as many people as we could through the gates to safety."

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reiterated Wednesday morning her message from a letter she wrote to lawmakers on Tuesday that they should not be traveling to the region at this time.

"This is deadly serious," Pelosi told reporters in Washington D.C. Wednesday morning. "We do not want members to go."

While Pelosi said she was pleased because she believed the two Congressmen had returned safely, she made it clear she disapproved of the trip and deterred anyone else in the party from considering something similar.

"The point is that we don't want anybody to think this is a good idea and follow suit," she said. "We wanted to make sure they were safe for themselves, but also for what consequences would flow, ramifications, if something happened to them while they were there.

"They have to make their own case as to why they went and this and that. But it was not, in my mind, a good idea."

Moulton has been highly critical of the Biden administration and making the case for months that it should have been more proactive in helping American citizens and allies from the 20-year-war out of the country before allowing the Taliban to seize control of Kabul last weekend.

"As Members of Congress, we have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch," Moulton and Meijer said in their statement. "There is no place in the world right now where oversight matters more. 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.

"We left on a plane with empty seats, seated in crew-only seats to ensure that nobody who needed a seat would lose one because of our presence."

Pelosi countered that Congressmen need committee chair approval for such trips.

"We've put out word to our committees that there ain't going to be no planes, and this and that, and people going to the region," she said on Wednesday. "Really? We're trying to get people out."

Mouton and Meijer said the Biden Administration should be "ashamed" of the position it has put the senior military members in and that the forces "have been run ragged and are still running strong."

"Their empathy and dedication to duty are truly inspiring. The acts of heroism and selflessness we witnessed at (the Kabul airport) make America proud."

They said they had intended to push the Biden Administration to extend the U.S. exit from the country beyond the Aug. 31 deadline to help ensure more Americans and Afghan allies can escape the country, but came home pessimistic that a short extension of a U.S. presence would make much of a difference.

"After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by September 11," the statement said. "Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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