Oklahoma congressman allegedly threatened embassy staff while trying to enter Afghanistan: report

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Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin allegedly threatened embassy staffers in Tajikistan when needing assistance in transporting a huge amount of cash into the country, in his attempt to enter neighboring Afghanistan, according to a report.

Mullin, a Republican, planned to hire a helicopter to enter Afghanistan and rescue five American citizens – a woman, and her four children, and he sought the ambassador's help, the Washington Post reported. He needed assistance bypassing Tajikistan’s laws on cash limits.

But when embassy officials told him no, Mullin allegedly threatened U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan, John Mark Pommersheim, and embassy staff, according to the paper.

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Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) speaks during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on April 15, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images)

"To say this is extremely dangerous is a massive understatement," a State Department official told the Post. The nature of Mullin’s threats was not immediately clear.

As of late Tuesday, officials said they were unsure of Mullin’s whereabouts. But Meredith Blanford, a spokeswoman for Mullin, later said Mullin "has been and is currently completely safe." Blanford added that he and his office "will continue to do anything in our power to bring home all Americans from the war zone that President Biden abandoned," according to the Washington Post. 

Congressman Mullin's office, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's office, and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to late-night requests for comment from Fox News.

On Monday, the Pentagon announced that all U.S. troops have departed Afghanistan. The final C-17 carrying service members lifted off from the airport at 3:29 pm U.S. Eastern Time. 

The removal of U.S. troops met the Aug. 31 deadline the Biden administration agreed to with the Taliban -- officially ending America’s longest war.

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Mullin tweeted Monday that Americans stranded in Afghanistan were "left to defend themselves from terrorists overrunning the country."

"One motto of our military is ‘leave no man behind,'" he wrote. "But today, that’s exactly what President Biden did.". 

It was the second time Mullin attempted to travel into Afghanistan, according to the paper. He traveled to Greece last week and asked permission to enter Afghanistan, but the Pentagon denied his request to visit Kabul, an administration official said.

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Last week, Reps. Seth Moulton D-Mass., and Peter Meijer R-Mich., visited Afghanistan, prompting backlash from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Democratic aides in Congress.

U.S officials, as well as McCarthy and Pelosi, had urged people not to travel to the region after Moulton and Meijer’s trip.

"You’re putting yourself — not just yourself, but you’re putting Americans — in harm’s way if the military has to protect you, which they will do," McCarthy said, according to the Post.