Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) in introducing a resolution to establish a bipartisan and bicameral Joint Select Committee on Afghanistan to conduct a full investigation into President Biden’s withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
“The American people deserve to know what happened in Afghanistan, and it’s clear congressional hearings alone will not be sufficient for getting them answers,” said Senator Cramer. “A bipartisan, joint select committee would be able to provide a comprehensive look at the truth behind why President Biden’s withdrawal failed and what we can do to prevent similar problems in the future.”
The Joint Select Committee would conduct an investigation into the United States’ withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan and report its findings to Congress including:
- An analysis of any actions taken by the U.S. to proactively prepare for a successful withdrawal and any efforts to protect the safety ofour forces and neutralize threats in any withdrawal scenarios, including all timelines and advice provided by military leaders to President Biden and his national security team beginning in January 2021.
- A summary of any intelligence reports that indicated an imminent threat at the Hamid Karzai International Airport preceding the deadly attack on August 26, 2021, and the risks to U.S. and allied country civilians as well as Afghan partners for various United States withdrawal scenarios.
- A full and unredacted transcript of the phone call between President Biden and President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan on July 23, 2021.
- A description of the initial views and advice of the U.S. Armed Forces and the intelligence community given to the National Security Council and the White House before the decisions were taken regarding closure of U.S. military installations, withdrawal of U.S. assets, and withdrawal of U.S. military personnel.
- An assessment of U.S. assets, as well as any assets left behind by allies, that could now be used by the Taliban, ISIS-K, and other terrorist organizations operating within the region.
- An assessment of the discussions between the U.S. and allies supporting our efforts in Afghanistan and a timeline for decision making regarding the withdrawal of U.S. forces, Afghan allies and nationals, and other refugees.
- This includes discussions on any efforts to work with U.S. allies to repatriate all foreign nationals desiring to return to their home countries, the vetting of each individual and any coordination the Departments of State and Defense engaged in to safeguard members of the Armed Forces from infectious diseases and terrorist threats.
Senators Cramer and Scott are joined on the resolution by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Josh Hawley (R-MO).