reSee.it Video Transcript AI Summary
The discussion centers on the Afghanistan withdrawal and the vetting of evacuees who boarded planes. The opening exchange frames the withdrawal as a historic evacuation led by the Department of Defense and the Department of State. The senator asks specifically how many of the evacuees were vetted before they got on the plane.
The official responds by stating it is the policy to vet and screen evacuees for the United States. When the senator presses for a numerical figure, the official first indicates uncertainty about Afghanistan-specific cases but reiterates the policy. The senator clarifies the question: for those who got on the C-17s and other planes, how many were vetted before they boarded, by American officials? The official replies that for those brought to the United States, it is their policy to vet and screen 100% of them.
The senator pushes for a precise, testable number, asking if the answer is a sworn 100%. The official reiterates the policy and adds that all of the individuals who arrived in the United States have been screened. The senator presses further, asking for the exact percentage, and the official begins to provide a quantified estimate: well over 99% of them were fully screened and vetted before they boarded a flight. The senator seeks sources for that information, but the official continues, noting that if any were not screened before boarding, they would have been screened and vetted while in flight, and if any derogatory information was found, they would be placed in immigration enforcement proceedings and removal.
The senator then asks directly, under oath, whether the 99% figure refers to all people who got on the planes in Afghanistan. The official clarifies that precision is important and notes that the question being asked concerns planes from transit countries, the third country scenario, rather than the specific Afghan departures being discussed at that moment. The senator emphasizes the focus on people who got on the planes and left the chaotic airport, asking again for the percentage vetted before they got on those planes. The official ultimately asserts that he cannot speak to those planes from transit countries, but reiterates that the discussion about those who arrived in the United States involves screening and vetting, and that those arrivals have been screened. The exchange ends with the senator acknowledging the limitation, and the official indicating that he cannot provide a detailed accounting for the transpiring circumstances of planes from transit countries, while maintaining that those who arrived in the United States were screened.