GOP Reps. Accuse State Dept. Of Taking Credit For Private Operation To Rescue 4 Americans

Moments after Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson (R) announced the safe return of four of his constituents from Afghanistan, the State Department appeared to take credit for the operation that brought them home. Republican lawmakers are outraged by that attempt.

Early Monday, Jackson tweeted about the life threatening ground evacuation. He went on to thank Cory Mills, a veteran of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, and his team for launching the operation that brought the four home.

A little more than an hour later, however, Jackson followed up his announcement with a tweet laden with disgust. He shared a link to a CNN story that cited an unnamed State Department official who said that this was the first operation that “we’ve facilitated in this manner.” Jackson pushed back while explaining that after weeks of inaction, it was his office that coordinated with Mills team to get them out of Afghanistan.

Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R), who also was a part of the operation, echoed Jackson’s outrage. He called the CNN article a “flat out lie” and reiterated the point that it was Mills’ team that was on the ground working around the clock.

The exact details of the operation have not been shared to allow for the overland route used by Mills’ team to be used again in future missions. The State Department has yet to release a public statement on the controversy.

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