Where is Markwayne Mullin?
That's the question many were asking after Mullin, a Republican Representative for the state of Oklahoma, embarked on a "rogue" trip to Afghanistan.
United States officials said they were "unsure" about Mullin's whereabouts. Mullin was warned multiple times by the Pentagon and State Department not to travel to the Taliban-controlled nation.
According to The Washington Post, Mullin demanded officials at the U.S. embassy in Tajikistan provide assistance for his plan to travel to Afghanistan and evacuate five American citizens. Why the Americans were in Afghanistan and why they didn't leave in the months leading up to the Trump accord with the Taliban was unclear.
The Post's report noted Mullin's plan also violated Tajikistan's currency restrictions.
"Mullin told the [Tajik] embassy that he planned to fly from Tblisi, Georgia, into Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, in the next few hours and needed the top diplomat's help, according to the two U.S. officials familiar with the incident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose private conversations about a sensitive matter."
"Embassy officials told Mullin they could not assist him in skirting Tajikistan's laws on cash limits on his way to visiting one of the most dangerous places on earth."
Mullin was reportedly "outraged" by the response.
But this was not the first time the politician attempted to travel to Afghanistan.
An administration official confirmed the Pentagon denied Mullin's request to travel to Afghanistan after requesting the Department of Defense's permission from Greece.
Mullin's rogue trip garnered heavy criticism.
Many suggested he was putting himself and anyone who would have to rescue him in unncessary danger to appeal to his voting base.
More performative bs to appeal to the base he\u2019s a \u201creal American\u201d. Nearly getting himself killed to get some national attention. This outrage and pick me culture in the GOP has to stop.https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1432854523677130754\u00a0\u2026— Hoodie Reid (@Hoodie Reid) 1630495553
Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that it would get OTHER people killed, at this point if he wants to fuck around and play superhero, I'd be more than willing to let him find out.https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1432854523677130754\u00a0\u2026— \uea00 The D-Pad (@\uea00 The D-Pad) 1630468450
SMH\u2014-clown interfering with negotiated international-military affairs. He better not get himself held hostage. Good grief.https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1432854523677130754\u00a0\u2026— Savvy Nat \ud83d\ude37\u270c\ud83c\udffe (@Savvy Nat \ud83d\ude37\u270c\ud83c\udffe) 1630462545
So now Mark will be calling the same State Dept. Officials for help, I suppose. This hinders the mission of getting the rest of the people out! I say, Stay focused continue the mission, complete the mission, then see if Mark can be found.https://twitter.com/kendallybrown/status/1432860181252218889\u00a0\u2026— Sue (@Sue) 1630464766
Pro tip: don\u2019t do this.https://twitter.com/john_hudson/status/1432852473006497800\u00a0\u2026— Daniel W. Drezner (@Daniel W. Drezner) 1630467185
Others also lambasted the Republican Party and wondered when the party will be held accountable for blatantly circumventing the law.
Threatening officials when you're trying to circumvent the law but you don't get your way is a trademark of Karens and @HouseGOPhttps://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1432854523677130754\u00a0\u2026— Glenn Bealmer (@Glenn Bealmer) 1630466942
Why are we waiting to charge these people? They\u2019re hiding behind their offices, and it has got to stop. #GOP #GOPCrimehttps://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1432854523677130754\u00a0\u2026— MonieLuv (@MonieLuv) 1630475031
Republicans sure have a knack for becoming part of the problem.https://twitter.com/kendallybrown/status/1432860181252218889\u00a0\u2026— Please Vote Blue! (@Please Vote Blue!) 1630462815
Well...wow.\nAnother member of the GOP has proven that, competency tests are needed for folks running for political office.https://twitter.com/kendallybrown/status/1432860181252218889\u00a0\u2026— Lynn Attison \ud83d\ude3b\u2764\u270c\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Lynn Attison \ud83d\ude3b\u2764\u270c\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1630459619
And at some point Republicans will use this as an example of not getting out all Americans. Republicans are NOT the party of personal responsibility.https://twitter.com/john_hudson/status/1432852473006497800\u00a0\u2026— Healthcare \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8Voter \ud83c\udf0a (@Healthcare \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8Voter \ud83c\udf0a) 1630464405
On Wednesday, Mullin ended his media blackout to confirm he was alive.
The Oklahoma Republican took to Instagram to say he was on his way home.
Mullin's own attempts to travel to Afghanistan came after Massachusetts Democratic Representative Seth Moulton and Michigan Republican Representative Peter Meijer received harsh condemnation for making an unauthorized journey to Kabul.
Moulton and Meijer traveled to witness the rescue efforts. They and their staff were later returned on a military flight.
Their trip prompted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to issue a letter to all House members warning them to "not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger."
At the time, Pelosi cautioned such travel could jeopardize the U.S. military's evacuation efforts, which were ultimately completed on August 30.
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The Washington Post