Afghanistan Aftermath

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, the President hasn't mentioned Afghanistan since he turned the phased, conditional withdrawal under Trump into an unconditional surrender to the Taliban. Nor has he yet found the time to see, much less admit, the chaos that his policies have produced by collapsing our southern border.

Yet, putting these things out of sight and mind doesn't change the dangers they have unleashed. I am afraid that together, they pose a terrifying prospect for our country that Americans should prepare themselves to face in coming days.

Trump's phased withdrawal included keeping Bagram Air Base. This strategic American asset ensured that U.S. airpower could be projected throughout the region as both a bulwark to support the Afghan defense forces and a deterrent to the extremist regimes throughout the Middle East. In addition, Bagram included the Parwan Detention Facility that held, under Afghan control, between 5,000 and 7,000 hardened terrorists.

Instead, Mr. Biden ordered--and his woke generals executed--a surprise abandonment of Bagram in the dead of night without even notifying our allies. It took the Afghan Government by complete surprise and set off a shockwave that resulted in the rapid collapse of Afghan forces. In turn, this meant not only the loss of billions of dollars of U.S. military equipment to the very forces that attacked us on 9/11, but also the release of the most dangerous terrorists in the world.

Now, we know where one of those terrorists went. Ten days later, Abdul Rehman detonated a bomb at the airport in Kabul, killing 13 of our servicemen and -women, including a constituent of mine, Sergeant Nicole Gee of Roseville, California.

That is what one of them did. We still don't know where the thousands of other terrorists released from Bagram are or the plans they are pursuing.

I think it is a very good bet that more than a few of them are making their way right now to our open southern border. We know the Border Patrol has intercepted a number of known terrorists already. The Government of Panama told Congressman Gonzales from Texas that it intercepted 52 known terrorists with intent to make their way into the United States and tried in vain to warn the Biden administration.

What we don't know is how many have already infiltrated our country among the tens of thousands admitted by the Biden administration since the surrender of Bagram. We don't know how many more are among the gotaways who escaped the Border Patrol while it has been overwhelmed processing the masses who responded to Biden's open border invitation. Nor do we know how many radicalized Taliban or ISIS-K are among the nearly 100,000 evacuees being admitted into the United States from Afghanistan.

The Homeland Security Secretary, Mr. Mayorkas, informed us that it is not necessary for them to show that they assisted U.S. forces, but only that we don't know of any hostile actions that they have committed. In other words, if we don't know who they are or what they plan, that is sufficient for permanent residence in the United States.

Americans should brace themselves for what is surely coming. If these terrorists, unleashed because of the President's policy in Afghanistan, are able to make their way into our country because of the President's immigration policy, I am afraid that the price paid by innocent Americans will be horrendous. The mass bombings we read about in other countries may soon arrive on our shores, and if they do, the responsibility will rest squarely with the President, his administration, and his apologists in both public office and the press.

On October 14, I requested Mr. Mayorkas to provide the number of foreign nationals encountered on our southern border by nationality, the number that were in the Terrorist Screening Database, and whether any were imprisoned at Bagram Air Base. As of this date, we have received no response.

Mr. President, wake up. This terror is coming. For all we know, it is already on its way. For all we know, it is already here. For God's sake, secure our border, start enforcing our immigration laws, fully vet any asylum claims or refugees before they are admitted into our country. Or else, be prepared to bear the full condemnation of history for the terrors you will have set in motion against your country and your countrymen, betraying the highest trust in the land.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source