Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Newsmax that when he questioned Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Monday's hearing on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, he elicited a "lack of transparency" from Blinken regarding events in that country.
Appearing Tuesday on "American Agenda," Pfluger, the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism, said there is "a lack of transparency" in the Biden administration. "They're not telling the truth."
In the hearing broadcast on C-SPAN, Fluger asked Blinken, "How many evacuees have met criteria that are known or suspected terrorists at this point in time at our lily pad locations?"
Blinken responded that he did not have that information with him at the time.
"If we need more time" to vet suspected individuals before they leave Afghanistan, then they will "stay put," Blinken said.
The congressman added that part of the "lack of transparency" pertains to sending aid to the region, which he suspects will end up in the hands of the Taliban.
"We have no idea whether or not that money is going to go to the Taliban ... but we suspect it probably will, if given to the State Department," Pfluger said.
"We're very worried about any money going to Afghanistan," he said. "We're very worried about any legitimization of the [Taliban] government. We're calling for no legitimization; that we're not going to recognize them as an official government. That's anti-American because we have designated them as a foreign terrorist organization."
The State Department has not designated the Taliban a foreign terrorist organization but does recognize al-Qaida as one, and as the CIA notes, al-Qaida is "tied to the Taliban in Afghanistan."
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