Sep 8

Sep 8 When Congressmen go rogue overseas By James Bruno

We recently witnessed several congressmen going rogue overseas. Is it part of the general unraveling of our democracy, or is there a tradition of U.S. politicians single-handedly taking national security into their own hands?

During the stressful, chaotic evacuation of Kabul, House members Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Seth Moulton (D-MA) took it upon themselves to hop a flight to the UAE and then muscle their way onto a milair flight to Kabul, where they stayed several hours before getting another milair flight out. They claimed they went to “provide oversight.”

“It’s as moronic as it is selfish,” said a senior administration official. “They’re taking seats away from Americans and at-risk Afghans — while putting our diplomats and service members at greater risk — so they can have a moment in front of the cameras.”

Other officials echoed this sentiment: “It’s one of the most irresponsible things I’ve heard a lawmaker do,” a U.S. diplomat said. “It absolutely deserves admonishment.”

Rep. Peter Meiger (photo from his office)

In a letter to House members, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said, “I write to reiterate that the Departments of Defense and State have requested that Members not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger.”

Immediately on the heels of the Meijer-Moulton caper, Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) sought to carry out his own rogue mission into Afghanistan. After being denied transportation from Greece to Kabul by the Pentagon, Moulton then phoned the U.S. ambassador in Tajikistan, Afghanistan’s northern neighbor. He informed the diplomat that he needed his help to travel to Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, carrying a lot of cash with which to rent a helicopter to enter northern Afghanistan to rescue American citizens.

The ambassador refused Mullin’s request, whereupon the congressman issued threats to him and his staff.

“Mullin’s behavior has alarmed top U.S. officials who say he has gone to extraordinary lengths to defy U.S. warnings,” reported the Washington Post.

“To say this is extremely dangerous is a massive understatement,” a State Department official told the Post.

And crazy.

During my years in the Foreign Service, I met and hosted scores of members of Congress who visited the posts where I served - almost all in hardship or danger zones. The overwhelming majority were gracious and not overly demanding. A few were arrogant, overbearing and uncooperative. On the Senate side, Republicans John McCain and Richard Shelby and Democrats John Kerry and Sam Nunn stand out as among the most pleasant and appreciative of our efforts. In the House, Tom Lantos, and Steve Solarz; and in the Senate Daniel Patrick Moynihan, stand out as among the most difficult and demanding.

Three stand out as certifiably crazy.

Dana Rohrbacher (D-CA) was one. The congressman came to Phnom Penh, Cambodia in the early ‘90s when I was serving as chargé d'affaires at our new fledging embassy there. Cambodia was a danger zone at that time, racked by civil war and extreme poverty. The Khmer Rouge targeted foreigners for assassination and travel outside the capital was extremely dangerous. I courted my girlfriend (now wife), a Dutch UN peacekeeper posted in a remote area of the country, via Blackhawk, Chinook and Russian helicopters. It was not unusual for KR guerrillas to take pot shots at us.

Among U.S. government priorities was to recover the remains of U.S. service personnel who were KIA during the Vietnam War. Rohrbacher told me and our security officer that he wanted our help in arranging an aircraft that would parachute him into the Cambodian jungle bordering Vietnam in order to rescue live American POW’s.

We couldn’t tell if the congressman was joking or not. We kept ourselves from bursting out laughing. He was serious.

We calmly and deliberately explained to Rohrbacher why his request was a no-go, not least because he would simply add himself to the MIA rolls, entailing our having to devote countless man hours and millions of dollars to search for his remains. If he insisted on pursuing his idea, he would need to clear it with the House Speaker, DoD and the State Department - obviously a mission-killer.

Rohrbacher actually was a pleasant man who was appreciative of the difficult work we diplomats were carrying out in a very challenging environment. After mulling over what we said, he gave up on his cockamamie scheme.

Early in my career, at our isolated embassy in Vientiane, Laos, then our only post in Indochina, we were visited by John LeBoutillier (R-NY) and Bill Hendon (R-NC), both POW/MIA activists.

It was clear from the outset that both distrusted the State Department (this was pre-”deep state”). They were evasive and obstreperous. They lugged around a heavy duffel bag at all times which they would allow no one else to touch (recording apparatus? We never found out). They were rude to Lao officials whom we arranged for them to meet. Their few questions centered on where “live American POW’s” were held.

I think I, a junior officer, must have gained their trust for weeks after they departed, LeBoutillier asked the State Department that they have me fly to Thailand to meet with one of their confidential sources. I did. The unidentified Asian man handed me an item which he said belonged to a deceased American MIA soldier. I unfolded the cloth to find - a tooth. LeBoutillier asked that I hand deliver the tooth to the POW/MIA central office in Honolulu. Which I did on my upcoming R&R. Why all this circuitous cloak-and-dagger? [Shrug]

There are long-standing set procedures for congressional travel overseas. Members must first get a (usually) pro forma chop from the leadership of their respective chamber. They must then submit their request to the State Department (in the case of diplomatic posts) or the Pentagon (for military bases), from whom they then seek clearance. If the proposed dates are problematical, the post or base will negotiate alternate dates.

An extensive google search turns up no other cases of senators or congressmen going rogue as did the three Afghanistan interlopers. Perhaps my colleagues who’ve served might be able to reveal some.

It is axiomatic for public servants to treat congressional members as demi-gods - pull out all the stops to make their overseas visit as productive as possible - short of procuring prostitutes, requests for which are known to have been made.

Moulton, Meijer and Mullin bucked the system and went rogue. The first two, both Iraq military vets, certainly know better. They were clearly engaged in political grandstanding. Mullin, like his fellow Republican Jim Jordan - a wrestler by background, clearly lacks the depth of intellect and self-restraint to figure it all out and to follow procedures. He, like Rohrbacher, also possesses a Rambo complex (a therapist is recommended). Politicians gate-crashing a war zone not only divert precious resources, but throw a huge monkey wrench into operations by distracting diplomats, military and intelligence personnel from performing their mission, in this case, saving lives under highly stressful and dangerous circumstances. That’s why everybody needs to play by the rules.

After all, nobody wants a dead member of Congress on their hands.

James Bruno (@JamesLBruno) served as a diplomat with the U.S. State Department for 23 years and is currently a member of the Diplomatic Readiness Reserve. An author and journalist, Bruno has been featured on CNN, NBC’s Today Show, Fox News, Sirius XM Radio, The Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Huffington Post, and other national and international media.