Responding to Americans' Concerns
Floor Speech
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Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank our vice chair for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a link for a document styled, ``Unwelcome in Niger: The Interim Report from Congressman Matt Gaetz on the Crisis in Niger.'' Https://gaetz.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/ gaetz.house. gov/files/evo-media-document/Rep.%20Gaetz%27 s%20Niger%20 Report%20-%20Unwelcome%20 in%20Niger%204.17.24__compressed% 20%281%29.pdf.
Dear Congressman Johnson: I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the actions taken by the U.S. Embassy in Niger, particularly involving the Ambassador, Kathleen A. FitzGibbon and the Senior Defense Official/Defense Attache (SDO/DATT). Colonel Nora J. Nelson-Richter. The recent events have raised serious questions about the conduct and decision- making of these officials, and I believe Congress must address these issues.
As a service member deployed to Niger, Africa, I have noticed that the Embassy, and more specifically the SDO/DATT, intentionally suppressed intelligence information from the ground force collection elements to maintain the facade of a great country-to-country relationship. They failed to be transparent with U.S. service members deployed to this country. They gave a pretense that ``things are being worked'' and ``that is above our level,'' all the while Diplomatic Overflight Clearances for U.S. Military aircraft were purposefully not being approved by the country's Military Government as a political bargaining chip to entice the U.S. Government back to negotiate their withdrawal.
Since July 23rd, the day of the Coup d'etat, the Americans deployed here have not been able to perform their primary mission and have been told to ``sit and hold.'' it is clear that the country of Niger does not want a permanent military presence in their country and they have informed us that we need to leave. At this time, there are approximately 1,100 U.S. Military Service Members in the country who are essentially being held hostage from returning home to their families while the State Department continues with failed diplomacy by not communicating with the Country of Niger on what their withdrawal plan would look like after the Status of Forces Agreement was repudiated by the Host Nation. Additionally, the government of Niger is not processing Visas for U.S. members for entry into the country, which is especially concerning considering that all U.S. forces were scheduled to end a six-month deployment early this month when relief forces arrived. The Embassy failed to share any of this information with decision-makers at any level in the Department of Defense regarding this, further complicating our ability to conduct that swap of personnel.
These actions have deeply troubled me and many others in the community at home, as well as all the service members deployed here with me, and their families back in the States. Our diplomatic and defense representatives need to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct, especially in sensitive regions like Niger. The actions taken by the embassy officials not only reflect poorly on the United States but also have potential implications for our bilateral relations with other Partner Nations and the safety of our personnel in the region.
As a concerned citizen, I urge you to use your position and influence to investigate these matters and hold the responsible parties accountable thoroughly. Transparency and accountability are fundamental to the integrity of our diplomatic and defense institutions, and any misconduct or negligence must be addressed promptly and decisively.
I trust that you will take appropriate action to ensure that the necessary inquiries and corrective measures are undertaken. It is vital for the reputation and effectiveness of our diplomatic and defense efforts in Niger, Africa, and beyond.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue. I look forward to your leadership in addressing these concerns. Sincerely, USAF, Air Base 101, Niamey.
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Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Speaker, I come to the House floor this evening to expose a cover-up in the African country of Niger. This cover-up exists to conceal the humiliating failures of the Biden administration in Niger, throughout Africa, and throughout the world. We learn of the victims of this cover-up, the 1,100 U.S. troops currently stationed in Niger, functionally stranded by a Biden administration which cares more about saving face than saving their lives.
Our troops in Niger have been pleading for help. They have sent intelligence reports and letters stating that they are rarely getting safe water. They can't get diplomatic oversights to receive medicine, fresh troop rotations, or basic supplies. They have no mission.
In addition, the local authorities are becoming increasingly hostile. The current government of Niger has called the U.S. presence in the country illegal.
Why have these pleas not been heard? It is because U.S. Embassy Niger has been blocking the intelligence. I fear, as we speak, the conditions may be forming to create another Benghazi-style attack.
How did we get here with 1,100 American troops stuck, thoroughly unwelcome in a country where we have invested more than half a billion U.S. taxpayer dollars? It all began when Biden and Blinken chose Niger to be the centerpiece of their Africa strategy. Blinken even visited the country in March of last year saying: ``Niger is . . . an extraordinary model . . . a model of resilience, a model of democracy, a model of cooperation.''
What a difference a year makes. Just 1 year and 1 day after those remarks, the democratically elected government of Niger was replaced by a military coup, and the United States military literally trained the coup leaders.
I asked General Langley, who runs AFRICOM, why this happened, why so many coup leaders are trained by our servicemembers. He said: Well, Congressman, training people to overthrow their democratically elected governments is not in our curriculum.
However, the results are staggering and embarrassing in Guinea, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and other countries. There were coups, and in each of those coups, there was one common element: U.S. training for the coup leaders.
Now, the coup government currently in charge of Niger wouldn't even meet with General Langley when he went to talk about our base. The Prime Minister literally slammed the door in his face. One would think, if we trained you to overthrow your democratically elected government, we could at least get a meeting. However, instead of a burgeoning pro-U.S. sentiment, we now have the coup leaders we trained turning to Russia as their preferred security partner.
Where does that leave our 1,100 troops, our Americans? I did not serve in the military. I represent a military community, and I hear that these senior-enlisted servicemembers at a U.S. installation abroad, they are a big deal. They are kind of like the mayor of the installation.
The senior-enlisted servicemember at Airbase 101 in Niger wrote a letter to Congressman Dusty Johnson.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record this letter.
``Dear Congressman Johnson, I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the actions taken by U.S. Embassy Niger, particularly involving the Ambassador Kathleen A. FitzGibbon. . . . The recent events have raised serious questions about the conduct and decisionmaking of these officials, and I believe Congress must address these issues.
``As a servicemember deployed to Niger, Africa, I have noticed that the Embassy . . . intentionally suppressed intelligence information from the ground force collection elements to maintain the facade of a great country-to-country relationship. They failed to be transparent with U.S. servicemembers deployed to this country. They gave a pretense that `things are being worked' and `that it is above our level,' all the while, diplomatic overflight clearances for U.S. military aircraft were purposefully not being approved by the country's military government as a political bargaining chip to entice the U.S. Government back to negotiate their withdrawal.
``Since July 23, the day of the coup d'etat, the Americans deployed here have not been able to perform their primary mission and have been told to `sit and hold.' It is clear that the country of Niger does not want a permanent military presence in their country and they have informed us we need to leave. At this time, there are approximately 1,100 U.S. military servicemembers in the country who are essentially being held hostage from returning home to their families while the State Department continues with failed diplomacy by not communicating with the country of Niger on what the withdrawal plan would look like. . . . Additionally, the government of Niger is not processing visas for U.S. servicemembers for entry into the country, which is especially concerning considering that all U.S. Forces were scheduled to end a 6- month deployment early this month when relief forces arrived. The embassy failed to share any of this information with decisionmakers at any level in the Department of Defense regarding this, further complicating our ability to conduct the swap of personnel.
``These actions have deeply troubled me and many others in the community at home, as well as the servicemembers deployed here with me, and their families back in the States. Our diplomatic and defense representatives need to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct, especially in sensitive regions like Niger. The actions taken by the embassy officials not only reflect poorly on the United States but also have potential implications for our bilateral relations with other partner nations and the safety of our personnel in this region.''
When I became aware of this letter, my office conducted a number of interviews, which confirmed the claims made by the senior-enlisted official, and he signed his name to that letter, which we have entered in the Record. We have done those investigations. We have learned that the top public health official says that in the month of May, they are going to run out of medicine in Niger. It is worse than that. Our partner countries, Italy and Germany, who you would think would help us facilitate medicine and supplies, but they won't even help transport needed materiel to our servicemembers because they are worried about being expelled from the country.
If that isn't worse, the fact that we have got Russia as the preferred security partner now means there are Russians behind the wire at Airbase 101. We have Russians on our base somewhere. That would never happen. The only reason it is happening is because Blinken and Biden are humiliated that their plan failed, that they poured half a billion dollars into this country where now we are being thrown out by the scruff of our neck. Well, Joe Biden and Tony Blinken's failures should not have to be visited on the 1,100 servicemembers who are there fighting for us, wanting to do patriotic duty and they are being held hostage and they are stranded.
I will fight for them. I will fight against this administration that would use our servicemembers as pawns because they can't get their act together.
Just because Biden and Blinken can't say oops doesn't mean we should abandon our troops.
Mr. Speaker, and I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore) for his indulgence and the time.
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