Topline
The federal watchdog studying the United States’ role in Afghanistan released emails Wednesday apparently showing the State Department made misleading public statements about its compliance in a probe about the collapse of the Afghan military, upping the ante on a rare messy public dispute within the federal government.
State Department spokesman Ned Price, pictured here in March, has become a central figure in a … [+]
Key Facts
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) published a 21-page document accusing State Department spokesman Ned Price of making an “inaccurate” statement last week, when he claimed the department wasn’t contacted for input on the watchdog’s May report into the collapse of the Afghan military or given a chance to review the report before publication.
SIGAR released screenshots of an email from the watchdog to the State Department on April 20 requesting comment and providing a draft version of the report.
A State Department official, whose name was redacted in the SIGAR screenshots, emailed back the watchdog a day later saying the department “will not provide comments to the draft report since we did not participate in the engagement.”
The State Department didn’t cooperate with the probe because the Biden Administration believes the investigation is outside the scope of SIGAR’s authority, given the U.S. is no longer involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of the country, three congressional officials and one government official told NBC News.
The State Department didn’t immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Key Background
The U.S. withdrew its final troops from Afghanistan last August, ending a 20-year-long war that began in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. SIGAR was formed in 2008 by congressional mandate to evaluate the billions of American dollars spent on reconstruction efforts during the 20-year-long U.S. war in Afghanistan. SIGAR has offered harsh assessments about U.S. efforts in Afghanistan in prior reports, accusing the U.S. government of failing to set clear objectives and failing to build lasting infrastructure in Afghanistan despite generous funding, among other critiques. In addition to the State Department, SIGAR has also accused the United States Agency for International Development of refusing to cooperate with its most recent probe. SIGAR’s head John Sopko accused the two agencies of adopting “a premeditated position of obstruction” in a letter last week obtained by CNN.
Chief Critic
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), a ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, eviscerated the State Department for its alleged noncompliance in the probe, saying in a statement Monday: “The State Department spokesperson [lying]
Further Reading
Emails show State Department did not cooperate with Afghan probe, internal government watchdog says (NBC News)
Afghanistan War Went Wrong For These 7 Reasons, U.S. Watchdog Says (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2022/06/29/federal-watchdog-accuses-state-department-of-lying-about-afghanistan-probe/