Republican Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale and members of the House Freedom Caucus sent letters to the State Department and Department of Defense (DOD) calling on them to explain reports of U.S. special forces being present in Ukraine.
The Daily Caller first obtained the letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in which Rosendale and five other House Republicans on the Freedom Caucus call for answers to a number of questions regarding reports of U.S. military personnel in Ukraine, such as how many are there, why Congress was not notified, specifics about what the U.S. troops are doing there and more.
“The Biden Administration has an alarming trend of overreach and a lack of transparency when it comes to our national security. The Constitution is clear that only Congress can declare war – the American people deserve answers regarding the presence of U.S. special forces in Ukraine,” Rosendale told the Caller before sending the letters. (RELATED: Leaked Document Appears To Show US Doubts About Ukraine’s Anticipated Counteroffensive: REPORT)
Here Are The Questions Asked In The Letter:
- Exactly how many U.S. military personnel are currently operating in Ukraine?
- How many of those are U.S. special forces?
- Does the Administration have any plans to add or drawback U.S. personnel in Ukraine?
- How long have U.S. military personnel and U.S. special forces been operating in Ukraine?
- What if any explicit authorization did Congress provide the Administration for placing U.S. special forces in Ukraine?
- Why was Congress not notified of U.S. special forces in Ukraine?
- When did the Administration plan on informing Congress that U.S. special forces are in Ukraine?
- What exactly are U.S. troops in Ukraine doing?
- Are they engaged in any warfare or training of Ukrainian personnel?
READ THE LETTER HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
Earlier in April, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told Fox News a “small U.S. military presence” was present at the embassy in Kyiv to watch over military aid approved by Congress. (RELATED: The US Military Now Has Troops In Ukraine To Track Billions Of Donated Weapons)
In November 2022, it was reported the U.S. has troops in Ukraine working on inspections and monitoring the final destination of U.S.-provided weapons.
The other Freedom Caucus members who signed the letter include Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Pennylvania Rep. Scott Perry, Virginia Rep. Bob Good, Arizona Rep. Eli Crane. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz also signed the letter.
A State Department spokesperson responded to an inquiry about the letter to the Daily Caller, saying, “As a general matter, we do not comment on communications with Congress.” The Caller contacted the DOD about the letter to which it did not immediately respond.