Oklahoma Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin was reportedly missing after trying to enter Afghanistan following the U.S. military’s departure.
**UPDATE-
Wednesday morning Mullin posted a photo of himself on Instagram saying he was “heading home”. He did not mention where he had been while he was gone.
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. Am I extremely disappointed in how we (United States) left Americans behind .?.?. that would be an understatement.
According to the Washington Post, Mullin went on a ‘rogue evacuation mission’ despite warnings not to travel. He had called the U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan on Monday asking for help to move a large amount of money through the country in an attempt to save a stranded family.
Mullin reportedly wanted to hire a helicopter to rescue an American woman and her four children. He also asked embassy staff to help him bypass laws governing how much cash he could bring to the country. After they refused, Mullin allegedly threatened the staff and the U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan.
The Post also noted that Mullin tried to get into Afghanistan last week but was denied by the Pentagon in Greece. Tuesday night U.S. officials said they were unsure of Mullin’s location.
A State Department told the Post, “To say this is extremely dangerous is a massive understatement”.
Mullin is not the first representative to try and enter Afghanistan amidst all the chaos. Reps. Seth Moulton and Peter Meijer took an unauthorized trip to Kabul last week. They were there for less than 24 hours and received criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.