House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) has accused former acting ambassador to Afghanistan, Ross Wilson, of putting his own evacuation ahead of embassy staff during the chaotic August 2021 withdrawal. This accusation came during an interview with Axios at the Texas Tribune Festival and is part of a larger, forthcoming report on the controversial evacuation process.
The report claims that Wilson directed an employee to falsify a COVID-19 test so he could return to the U.S. from Doha, in breach of travel restrictions. Wilson, who reportedly tested positive for COVID upon arrival in Doha, has denied these allegations, asserting that he did not request anyone to take a COVID test on his behalf.
McCaul’s critique goes beyond these allegations, focusing also on Wilson’s actions prior to the evacuation. He contends that Wilson took a vacation in July 2021 without finalizing evacuation plans, despite warnings from the Pentagon and Intelligence community against a full military withdrawal. According to McCaul, Wilson ignored urgent warnings from over 20 State Department employees about the imminent Taliban threat.
McCaul Accuses Ex-Ambassador Wilson of Prioritizing Personal Evacuation Over Staff During Chaotic Kabul Withdrawal
The report, as described by McCaul, also highlights shortcomings in the Biden administration’s handling of the evacuation. He points out that, as the Taliban encircled Kabul on August 14, the White House had not yet determined evacuation criteria or destinations for evacuees. McCaul argues that this lack of preparation led to significant chaos and emboldened adversaries, such as Russia, which invaded Ukraine shortly after.
In response, White House spokeswoman Sharon Yang criticized McCaul’s report as partisan and biased. Yang defended the decision to end the war in Afghanistan, stating that the nation is stronger as a result.
She also noted that the embassy had issued repeated warnings for Americans to leave before the withdrawal and maintained that while there were flaws in the evacuation process, the overall decision to withdraw was correct. McCaul hopes that the findings from the report will influence future U.S. military withdrawal decisions, particularly regarding Iraq.
