Leaked Emails Confirm Biden Admin Blocked Private Evacuation Flights from Afghanistan
State Department emails prove administration refused to grant permission for planes
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Emails leaked from the State Department have confirmed that Democrat Joe Biden's administration blocked private evacuation flights, carrying rescued Americans and Afghan allies, from leaving Afghanistan.
The emails prove that the Biden administration refused to grant permission for the planes to land in third countries.
State Department officials made the decision even though the administration was aware official authorization was needed for them to do so, the emails show.
Additionally, Fox News reported that the State Department explicitly blocked private charter flights, even those carrying rescued American citizens out of Afghanistan, from being permitted to land at Department of Defense airbases.
These revelations appear to confirm what was alleged Tuesday by conservative radio host Glenn Beck, who helped arrange the flights.
As Neon Nettle first reported, Beck said on-air that the State Department refused to grant landing clearance to planes chartered by Mercury One and The Nazarene Fund, which prevented them from departing.
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Fox News obtained the leaked emails from Eric Montalvo, accoridng to The Blaze.
Montalvo organized a series of private flights to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies left behind in Afghanistan by the Biden administration.
An email sent on September 1 shows how the State Department set up bureaucratic roadblocks to private evacuation efforts.
"No independent charters are allowed to land at [Al Udeid Air Base], the military airbase you mentioned in your communication with Samantha Power," a State Department official wrote.
"In fact, no charters are allowed to land at an [sic] DoD base and most if not all countries in the Middle Eastern region, with the exception of perhaps Saudi Arabia will allow charters to land.
"You need to find another destination country, and it can't be the U.S. either."
According to Fox News, the official added that some third countries "may require" official approval from the State Department before permitting private charter flights to land there, but said the State Department "will not provide" that approval.
"Once you have had discussions with the host/destination country and reached an agreement, they may require some indication from the USG that we 'approve' of this charter flight.
"DOS will not provide an approval, but we will provide a 'no objection' to the destination country government via the U.S. Embassy in that country."
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During a Sept. 2 press conference, both White House press secretary Jen Psaki and State Department spokesman Ned Price denied that the Biden administration was preventing private planes from leaving Afghanistan.
Responding to the comments by Beck, a spokesman for the department referred to remarks made Tuesday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a press conference in Doha, Qatar.
"We're working around the clock with NGOs, with members of Congress and advocacy groups, providing any and all information and doing all we can to clear any roadblocks that they've identified to make sure that charter flights carrying Americans or others to whom we have a special responsibility can depart Afghanistan safely," Blinken said.
"We've also been engaged with the Taliban on this topic, including in recent hours," he added.
"They've said that they will let people with travel documents freely depart.
"We will hold them to that."
