Biden Officials Silent on Afghan Vetting After Guard Shooting

Top former Biden administration officials are refusing to answer questions about the U.S. refugee program for Afghanistan. This follows a recent attack in Washington, D.C., by an Afghan evacuee. The assailant was an Afghan national brought to the U.S. after the 2021 military withdrawal. He shot and wounded two U.S. National Guardsmen at a bus stop last week. Reporters have asked former officials, including then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken and former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, about the security screening process for these refugees. Neither they nor their representatives have responded. The attack has renewed scrutiny of "Operation Allies Welcome." This was the program that resettled tens of thousands of Afghans who worked with American forces. Officials have long defended the multi-layered vetting system as rigorous. The silence from key architects of the withdrawal leaves unanswered questions about the program's safeguards. The incident is likely to fuel further debate in Congress over U.S. refugee and immigration policy.