The Biden administration vouched for Rahmanullah Lakanwal — the man accused in the murder of a National Guard member in Washington, D.C. — years before the deadly shooting, declaring he was “no threat” to U.S. national security, according to a recommendation letter obtained by the New York Post.
The attack, which occurred the day before Thanksgiving, critically wounded Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Beckstrom later died from her injuries while Wolfe has been making “extraordinary progress” in his recovery.
The letter, which was discovered by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, states: “I am confident that Rahmanullah poses no threat to the national security of the United States.”
Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been investigating the Biden administration’s Afghanistan withdrawal and the vetting process used during the U.S. evacuation after two decades of war.
The recommendation was sent from the Kabul Annex to Customs officials and included language supporting Lakanwal’s entry into the United States through the immigration system. It also documented his CIA-linked service in Afghanistan during the war.
An HR representative at the annex promoted Lakanwal for a Special Immigrant Visa that ultimately allowed him to enter the U.S.
The letter is dated Oct. 14, 2021 — about two months after Taliban forces seized Kabul and the final U.S. troops departed Afghanistan. It said Lakanwal worked as a “security officer” at a State Department Annex since 2011, serving alongside U.S. and Afghan forces for a decade.
The letter praised him for “faithful and valuable service” to the U.S. and said he “has faced significant threat to himself and his family as a result of his dedication to DOS Annex and the U.S. Government’s mission in Afghanistan. His contributions to the mission have no doubt benefited U.S. Government interests and national security.”
A separate section, redacted to protect an unidentified “organization,” also confirms Lakanwal’s “work for the U.S. Government.”
Grassley is now pressing for details about how much vetting occurred for Lakanwal and two other Afghans arrested around the same time as the Guard shooting — Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, who was arrested in Texas over alleged bomb threats posted on social media, and Jaan Shah Safi, who was arrested in Virginia for allegedly supporting ISIS.
In a series of letters this week, Grassley asked government agencies to disclose more about the three men and whether they provided “material support” or held contracts with the CIA. He also asked whether they were vetted against intelligence community databases.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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