Letter to Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House - 'Congress has a duty to demand accountability': Rep. Roy calls on Pelosi to reconvene Congress over disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal

Letter

Dear Speaker Pelosi,

We have watched in horror the shamefully botched exit from Afghanistan; throughout which my office has focused first on helping every American we could to get home. While hamstrung and effectively abandoned by their leadership in Washington, our heroic military service members did the best they could -- as they always do -- to save as many lives as possible. Notably, those efforts were supplemented by private citizens who stepped up when our own administration officials walked away.

With an arbitrary and unnecessary deadline imposed by the commander-in-chief having come and gone, it is now time for a reckoning. America does not run away. We do not leave our brothers and sisters behind. We do not aid and abet the enemy.

Yet, that is what happened on the watch of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, General Mark Milley, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, among others. Every one of these individuals -- including President Biden -- should resign.

But, they should not be allowed to simply resign and slink off into the night. Nor should they get by with a rushed impeachment that might risk the solemnity deserved. Rather, they must stand before God and the American people, answer for their actions, and then be punished as appropriate through impeachment, court martial, or otherwise consistent with the law.

The President must address the American people directly. His appointees must testify in front of Congress and be required to answer these questions and many more:

Why were Americans left behind? How many? In what condition? And what was the criteria for getting an exit out given the small % of Americans? Who decided that?

Why did we set force levels causing an abandonment of Bagram Air Base and why was it done without warning to the Afghan Security Force? Who decided that?

Why were large amounts -- reportedly over $80BB -- of important U.S military equipment allowed to fall into the hands of the Taliban and other enemy forces? Who decided that?

Why did we delegate security of Kabul and HKIA to the Taliban? Why did we not expand the perimeter around HKIA to disperse forces in the event of attack? Who decided that?

Why were the September 11th & August 31st deadlines selected? Did President Biden ignore expert advice and endanger Americans & allied lives to meet those deadlines?

Did U.S. officials leave behind a database of Afghan allies and perhaps worse, provide the Taliban directly with the names of Americans and Afghan allies? If so, why?

Why was Congress never consulted?

While we don't yet know the answer to these and other questions in full, we do know that the Taliban is now stronger than ever before; they now have access to the sensitive biometric database of our Afghan allies and now control billions of dollars' worth of U.S. military equipment. We know that 13 U.S. service members were killed in the process. And we know that the Taliban is flying around a U.S. helicopter hanging someone who may well be one of our allies over Kabul.

Madam Speaker, you have a duty to call Congress back to Washington and begin hearings immediately.

Congress has a duty to demand accountability from the administration for past actions as well as a strong path forward for our nation.

Sincerely,

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