McCaul, HFAC Republicans, Abbey Gate Gold Star Families Discuss Importance of Accountability

Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and committee Republicans held a press conference on their report detailing the findings of the three-year investigation into the Biden-Harris administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Chairman McCaul was joined by Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL), Subcommittee on the Middle East and Northern Africa Chairman Joe Wilson (R-SC), Subcommittee on Europe Chairman Tom Kean (R-NJ), Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Amata Radewagen (R-AS-AL), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Mike Waltz (R-FL), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Cory Mills (R-FL), Keith Self (R-TX), and Ryan Zinke (R-MT). In addition, the committee Republicans were joined by some of the Abbey Gate Gold Star families, including Jim McCollum, Herman Lopez, Coral Doolittle, Cheryl Jules, Christy Shamblin, Paula Knauss, Darin Hoover, Kelly Barnett, and Mark and Jaclyn Schmitz.

"Our report came out today. It's over 300 pages. It's a historic document. It's not a political document. It was a document designed to get to the truth," said Chairman McCaul. "And what we found was significant. This was a catastrophic failure of epic proportions."

WATCH HIS FULL REMARKS HERE

-Remarks as Delivered-

On the State Department's failure to plan for an evacuation:

"The State Department, by law, has the authority authorized by Congress, to come up with a plan of evacuation, known as the NEO. The State Department wholly failed in that responsibility. Don't take my word for it. The fact is the [evacuation] plan wasn't even initiated until the Taliban had overrun Kabul and were on their way to the embassy. … When you don't have a plan, you plan to fail."

On the Abbey Gate terrorist attack that took the lives of 13 heroes:

"Thirteen servicemen and women killed, 170 Afghans killed, 45 Americans [wounded], and [countless] Afghan civilians wounded. The sad thing is it could have been prevented if we just had a plan. It could have been stopped."

On the global implications of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal:

"What happens after Afghanistan falls? Weakness is projected around the globe. Our enemies and adversaries see weakness, not strength. The Russian Federation, within months, moves into Ukraine because they see this is their moment. Then the unholy alliance with Chairman Xi [of] China, threatening Taiwan and the Pacific. Then in the Middle East, the Ayatollah raises his ugly head with his proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, [and the] Houthi rebels. All as a result of Afghanistan. Finally, where a failed foreign policy meets a broken border policy at our borders, eight ISIS [affiliates] enter the country, now under detention by the FBI. … So it comes full circle back to the United States."

On Democrat obstruction and Chairman McCaul's threat to hold Secretary Blinken in contempt:

"I had to submit subpoena after subpoena, motions of contempt to [obtain the Dissent Channel cable] of the employees at the embassy. … Secretary Blinken, to this day, refuses to take one day out of this month to come before the American people and these families…This is a disgrace. And I will hold [Secretary Blinken] in contempt, if that's what it takes to bring him before the American people - because they deserve the answers."

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