Oklahoma Congressman Markwayne Mullins has resurfaced, albeit via social media. The last sighting of the Oklahoma Republican congressman was at the US embassy in Tajikistan, where an embassy employee said Mullins argued with him regarding the rules applied to how much cash could be brought into Afghanistan.
Mullins was planning to enter Afghanistan with cash to charter a helicopter to rescue a woman and her four children, American citizens left behind when the United States military ended its presence in the conflict-torn country. However, the US embassy was blocking Mullins’ transport of the amount of cash that he felt was needed for the rescue. The embassy employee said the Congressman threatened the employee.
The US State Department commented on Tuesday that this was very dangerous and that the Congressman’s whereabouts were unknown. US embassies are under the jurisdiction of the US State Department.
As of late Tuesday, US officials were unsure of Congressman Markwayne Mullin’s location. He was widely framed in the media to be “lost” in Afghanistan on a “rogue mission.” However, an update from his own spokesperson that hit press Wednesday morning said the Congressman was “completely safe.”
Mullins himself posted on Instagram later in the day on Wednesday: “Have we been helping get Americans out of Afghanistan, yes. Is the mission continuing, yes. Am I missing, no. Did I go dark for a little, yes because it wasn’t safe to be communicating.” The Congressman’s appearance was wearied and serious.
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His post continued with a portion not widely quoted in the press: “Am I extremely disappointed in how we (United States) left Americans behind… that would be an understatement. President Biden and his administration are absolutely lying to the American people about Americans and our friends being left behind. So many great Americans, many who are Veterans and many who are not, are stepping up to keep our promise… We will never leave an American behind.”
This incident is occurring on the heels of Nancy Pelosi’s censure of two democratic congressional members who journeyed to Afghanistan on their own last week on a fact-finding mission.