Waltz: ‘Mass hostage situation’ in Afghanistan will make Iran 1979 ‘look like a sleepover’
Rep. Michael Waltz, the first Green Beret ever elected to Congress, says the Taliban have a ‘gun to the back of the head’ of Americans because ‘Joe Biden left them there’
Republicans tore into President Biden on Wednesday, claiming that the commander-in-chief’s pledge to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by August 31 could lead to a bigger hostage situation than Iran in 1979.
"We’re on the cusp of having the biggest mass hostage situation in American history," said Florida Congressman Michael Waltz. "It’s gonna make 1979 in Tehran look like a sleepover."
Waltz, the first Green Beret elected to Congress, asserted that the Taliban would likely keep U.S. citizens who missed the evacuation timeline to gain economic and political "leverage."
"They’ve got a gun to the head of American citizens because Joe Biden left them."
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Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, placed the blame directly on President Biden for the "horrific" instances of violence against Afghans attempting to enter the Kabul International Airport.
"We heard horror stories of Afghan interpreters and their families being sent back home and being decapitated in front of the interpreter and then the interpreter himself being decapitated."
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York turned her attention from American citizens abroad to American citizens at home. She cited the amalgamation of three issues: Biden’s immigration policies, the influx of refugees from Afghanistan alongside the ‘defund the police’ movement, as factors that could lead to terror attacks within the U.S.
"5,000 individuals were just released from a prison by the Taliban, including ISIS fighters, Al-Qaeda—we have open borders, just people streaming over our border and there have already been people within the last several months who have been on the FBI terror watch list."
"This is a recipe for disaster," added Malliotakis.
McCaul echoed Malliotakis’ concerns about terrorism in the U.S., calling it a "real threat to the homeland."
According to the White House, since Aug. 14 the U.S. has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of about 82,300 people on U.S military and coalition flights. That includes 19,000 people who were evacuated from Kabul in a 24-hour period from Tuesday to Wednesday, according to a White House official.
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Reporters have had a difficult time getting a straight answer from the Biden administration on how many Americans are still in Afghanistan.
Nevertheless, as the evacuations continue with 6 days left Republicans such as Waltz have made their position clear.
"American’s don’t leave Americans behind. Period."
Fox News' Marisa Schultz contributed to this report.