US Congressman Markwayne Mullin Missing in Afghanistan?

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Congressman Markwayne Mullin, the conservative GOP representative from the second congressional district of Oklahoma, threatened the United States Embassy staff before a rogue trip to Afghanistan. Mullin was attempting to bring a vast amount of cash into neighboring Tajikistan. The Republican party member allegedly tried to rescue a family in Afghanistan. 

While his camp has made no comment on his whereabouts, Mullin’s staff has stated that he is safe. Before Wednesday morning, Mullin hadn’t commented personally, causing speculation that he had gone missing in Afghanistan.

Republican congressman’s rogue trip to Afghanistan

The news comes just days after President Biden finished an unprecedented airlift evacuation effort of U.S. personnel and Afghan allies, finally ending a 20-year war. Efforts were thrown into chaos as the deadline to leave approached after two ISIS-K affiliated suicide bombers attacked the Kabul airport, killing 13 U.S. soldiers.

The story of Rep. Mullin’s disappearance picked up steam last night when the Washington Post reported that Mullin had attempted to circumvent rules regarding money being brought into Tajikistan. The story purports that Mullin wanted to make the trip in an attempt to bring home a family safely.

Nevertheless, there have been no reports of who the family is, nor his reason for helping one specific family. This, despite the thousands of Afghans trying to leave the country under the Taliban’s rule. 

“Americans have been stranded in Afghanistan by the Biden Administration and are now left to defend themselves from terrorists overrunning the country. One motto of our military is ‘leave no man behind,” Mullin said in a released statement. 

Interfering with the war in Afghanistan or Afghan evacuation efforts isn’t something the US Congress views lightly. Other representatives have been warned against such measures  by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “To say this is extremely dangerous is a massive understatement,” said one anonymous State Department official of Mullin’s plans to enter Afghanistan. The representative from Oklahoma, however, ignored those warnings and pressed onward. 

Mullin responds

Mullin contacted the Embassy officials in nearby Tajikistan to obtain information on how to bring more cash into the country. The cash would have been used to hire a helicopter to evacuate the family. This isn’t Mullin’s first attempt to enter the country, per the Washington Post, which claimed that Representative Mullin tried to get into Afghanistan last week through a direct flight from Greece.

The Oklahoma representative demanded to know who he was speaking with when his personal request for helping bring in cash an attempt to save the family was denied. He also had harsh words for U.S. Ambassador John Mark Pommersheim. Mullin felt Pommersheim wasn’t providing enough support for his endeavor. 

According to a Wednesday morning update from the Tulsa World, Mullin confirmed his safety. 

“Am I helping get Americans out of Afghanistan, yes,” Mullin told the Tulsa World via text message. “[Am] I missing, no. Did I go dark for a little, yes. Because it wasn’t safe to be communicating.”