The silence from former Biden administration officials speaks volumes, and in Washington, silence often tells you everything you need to know.
More than a week has passed since inquiries were sent to key decision-makers behind Operation Allies Welcome, the Afghan resettlement program that brought the alleged National Guard attacker to American soil. Not a single response has been returned. Not one former official has stepped forward to defend the vetting procedures they championed or express regret for the processes they put in place.
The attack on Thanksgiving Eve claimed the life of one West Virginia National Guard member and left another fighting for his life. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey recently visited the wounded guardsman, describing the experience as powerful and deeply moving. Yet those who crafted the policies that may have enabled this tragedy remain conspicuously absent from the conversation.
The controversy reignited last week when House Homeland Security Committee ranking member Bennie Thompson dismissed the deadly assault as an “unfortunate accident.” His characterization infuriated Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and raised fundamental questions about whether Democrats still support the rushed vetting procedures implemented during the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal.
Requests for comment were sent to former President Joe Biden’s office. No response. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and her literary agent received inquiries. Radio silence. Former Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley, now a visiting professor at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, also declined to respond.
While Milley served in an advisory capacity rather than a command position, he was instrumental in providing military counsel to the president during the withdrawal. He later testified before senators that he recommended maintaining a small force of 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, advice that was ultimately ignored.
Former Central Command commander General Kenneth McKenzie, who oversaw security and evacuation operations at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, similarly failed to respond to inquiries sent through his new position at the University of South Florida. CENTCOM’s jurisdiction covers the Middle East, making McKenzie’s role in the withdrawal operations particularly significant.
Messages sent to former National Security Adviser Jacob Sullivan and Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer also went unanswered. Sullivan, a key adviser to Biden during the withdrawal, now has ties to Congress through his wife, Representative Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire. Finer has landed at Columbia University’s School of Public and International Affairs as a visiting fellow.
The pattern is unmistakable. Those who orchestrated one of the most disastrous foreign policy failures in recent American history have retreated to the comfortable confines of academia and private life, unwilling to face questions about decisions that continue to have deadly consequences on American soil.
A senator has renewed efforts to mandate proper vetting procedures for Afghan evacuees in the wake of the National Guard shooting. The alleged attacker had previously been arrested and federally charged with threatening a terror attack before carrying out the Thanksgiving Eve assault.
The American people deserve answers. The families of the National Guard members deserve answers. The question now is whether those who made these consequential decisions possess the courage to provide them, or whether their silence will remain their only statement on the matter.
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