During his second round of questions at today’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Afghanistan withdrawal, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) questioned Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley about why their written testimonies were submitted to the committee after 10:00 p.m. last night, rather than 48 hours before the hearing as the committee requested.
“Why did the committee not get the testimony until 10:35 last night? Were you guys not prepared? … Did the White House withhold your testimony?” asked Senator Cramer.
General Milley said the Office of Management and Budget “reviewed [the testimony] in the afternoon” and they were returned in the evening.
“It was somebody’s strategy [to withhold the testimony until as late as possible], is my guess,” responded Senator Cramer. “Might not have been yours, but it was somebody’s.”
Senator Cramer then questioned Central Command Commander General Kenneth McKenzie on ISIS-K’s intent to attack the homeland of the United States and the existing vulnerabilities within our current immigration and border policies. He noted those who carried out the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, were all individuals who came to the United States through visa programs. This comes in light of questions regarding whether evacuated Afghanis and those crossing the southern border into the United States have been properly vetted.
“Isn’t national security tied directly to good immigration security, and do you feel like we’re adequately prepared to protect the homeland?” asked Senator Cramer. “I would submit to you as good as the work that’s been done in the last 20 years, the last six or seven months it’s been pretty well degraded.”
General McKenzie, as well as Secretary Austin, agreed with Senator Cramer.
The senator concluded his remarks by asking whether the architects of the terrorist attack which killed 13 U.S. service members during the withdrawal are still at large. General McKenzie responded by saying he would address that during the classified portion of the hearing.
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