Biden administration tried to disband federal agency designed to assist US citizens abroad two MONTHS before Kabul's fall
A bureau set up by Mike Pompeo under President Trump to help Americans abroad was discontinued after a memo was passed and signed in June by the Biden administration.
The Contingency and Crisis Response Bureau, or CCR, was created during the Trump presidency by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in October 2020.
It was meant to provide 'aviation, logistics, and medical support capabilities for the Department's operational bureaus, thereby enhancing the secretary's ability to protect American citizens overseas in connection with overseas evacuations in the aftermath of a natural or man-made disaster,' according to Fox 11 News.
The decision to discontinue this bureau came in June, before the Taliban took over Afghanistan where 15,000 American citizens and refugees are currently trapped.
The Contingency and Crisis Response Bureau (CCR) was created by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the Trump presidency which was designed to provide emergency services to Americans abroad
The memo that planned to discontinue the CCR was signed by Deputy Secretary of State Brian McKeon, pictured, on June 11
The memo in question was signed by Deputy Secretary of State Brian McKeon, and approved the 'discontinuation of the establishment, and termination of, the Contingency and Crisis Response Bureau (CCR).'
President Joe Biden's administration has been continuously criticized for their handling of the situation in Afghanistan.
On Monday, Biden said: 'We had put in place to respond to every … contingency—including the rapid collapse we're seeing now.'
Biden also claims that withdrawing American citizens from Afghanistan would not be possible without 'chaos ensuing.'
Up to 15,000 Americans currently stuck in Afghanistan have been told by the US State Department to make their way to Kabul Airport - although they have been warned that the journey there is at their own risk.
President Joe Biden and his administration have been continuously criticized for his method of handling affairs in Afghanistan
A States Department official claimed that a bureau was not abolished by the Biden administration and that it was never created during Trump's presidency.
The official told the Washington Free Beacon: 'On top of that, the proposed Bureau would not have introduced any new capabilities to the Department.
'Every requirement the department delivered on last year, and since the proposed establishment of the bureau, can be delivered today in the same manner.'
However, the State Department told Fox News that the ideas in the bureau can still be enacted and that it was discontinued in the early stages of it's conception.
The CCR was listed as a functioning bureau in January according to the Foreign Affairs Manual.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reportedly requested a copy of the bureau earlier this year
It was also reported that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken requested a review of the bureau earlier this year.
American citizens continue to remain trapped in Kabul as Afghan airports have been surrounded by members of the Taliban.
A security alert from the State Department said on Wednesday that 'The United States Government could not 'ensure safe passage to the Hamid Karzai International Airport.'
Afghan refugees have been attempting to leave the country since the takeover, with some going as far as to attach themselves to jets on runways.
They were promised visas to move to the US in return for helping American forces during the war, mainly as translators.
But many are now said to be too scared to go to Kabul airport - whose perimeter is controlled by the Taliban - and they face certain death if they stay in the country and are exposed as former US operatives.
Refugees are planned to be held in U.S. military garrisons in Texas and Wisconsin upon arrival.
15,000 Americans remain trapped in Afghanistan as Taliban troops surround airports and were told Wednesday that the U.S. Government could not ensure their safe journey home
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