Press Release – Byron Donalds

WASHINGTON – Today, House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) and Representative Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) wrote Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko and the Lead Inspector General for Overseas Contingency Operations requesting they declassify the classified annexes of their most recent Quarterly Reports on Afghanistan Reconstruction and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.

“What America and the world witnessed with the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan is inexcusable and will go down in history as one of the worst foreign policy decisions on record. This hasty departure from Afghanistan led to the deaths of 13 Servicemen and women, countless civilians, the rise of Islamic terror, and tarnished relationships on the world stage,” said Rep. Donalds. “As a member of the House Oversight Committee, I stand in lockstep with Ranking Member Comer and my other colleagues in demanding transparency and accountability following this deadly and derelict operation led by our inept commander in chief.”

“The classified annex presents new information and valuable context regarding the security situation in Afghanistan. We respectfully request you declassify the report as soon as possible so the American people can have a better understanding of the facts surrounding the Afghanistan withdrawal,” wrote the lawmakers to both IG Sopko and the Lead IG.

The withdrawal from Afghanistan has been an unmitigated disaster that cost the lives of 13 U.S. service members and left Americans stranded. It is vital for Congress and the American public to understand what happened in Afghanistan, if accurate intelligence was being communicated across government, and if President Biden acted in accordance with that intelligence.

Read the letter to IG Sopko here.

Read the letter to the Lead IG here.

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