Comer, Grothman Blast Biden Administration’s Failure to Cooperate with IG on Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal
WASHINGTON – House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) and Subcommittee on National Security Ranking Member Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) are raising concerns over the Biden Administration’s unprecedented and deliberate attempt to obstruct the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction’s (SIGAR) investigation into the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. In a letter to Inspector General John Sopko, the Republican lawmakers emphasize that the Biden Administration’s failure to cooperate with the SIGAR investigation has delayed critical Afghanistan reports Congress requires and are requesting an immediate briefing to better understand all obstacles prohibiting SIGAR from completing its investigation.
“Oversight Committee Republicans are continuing to conduct oversight over the United States’ botched withdrawal from Afghanistan,” wrote the Republican lawmakers. “On two separate occasions you have informed the Committee that the Biden Administration is obstructing your work by failing to produce required information. This is unacceptable. Therefore, we request a briefing on your continuing oversight efforts and any obstacles put in place by the Biden Administration. Historically, State and USAID have honored SIGAR’s mission. But since the Biden Administration’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal—which is in desperate need of oversight—State and USAID have denied travel, delayed, obstructed, and even questioned SIGAR’s jurisdictional authority. The Biden Administration’s obstruction directly violates the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2008 and the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, which both require agencies to provide Inspectors General information or assistance.”
On September 10, 2021, the Oversight Committee sent a bipartisan request seeking information into the underlying causes that may have led to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan and the ramifications of the U.S. military and diplomatic withdrawal for U.S. national security. On June 22, 2022, SIGAR notified the Committee that the Biden Administration is actively obstructing work and failing to produce required information necessary to completing reports the Committee requested.
“The Biden Administration’s obstruction of your investigations is unprecedented, matching the unprecedented Afghanistan withdrawal. Since President Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the U.S. has spent more than $1.1 billion on humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people,” continued the Republican lawmakers. “It is SIGAR’s responsibility to examine this money for waste, fraud, and abuse and to what extent the Taliban may have access to those funds, as it has done since 2008. The lack of cooperation from the Biden Administration raises serious questions. What do they have to hide? Are funds being given to the Taliban? What is being done to assist women and girls? How is the U.S. engaging with the U.N. and other multilateral organizations on these matters? To help us better understand these and other issues, we respectfully request a staff-level briefing to take place as soon as possible.”
Read the letter here.