WASHINGTON — Republicans have spent the past two days attacking former President Joe Biden, accusing his administration of vetting failures that allowed the Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guardsmen to enter the country.
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But a resurfaced video from 2021 is complicating that narrative.
The footage shows Rep. Byron Donalds, the Florida Republican congressman now running for governor and a close Trump ally, urging the United States to open its doors widely to Afghan evacuees after the fall of Kabul. In the clip, Donalds says “we have a responsibility to take in” Afghans who worked alongside U.S. forces and presses the administration to move quickly to admit them.
Analysts are also noting that Donalds voted for the Allies Act in 2021, legislation designed to significantly expand eligibility for Afghan interpreters and partners seeking entry into the United States.
Democrats argue the video and Donalds’ legislative record undercut current GOP attacks, pointing out that Republicans at the time were publicly pressing the administration to broaden Afghan admissions. Republican leaders, however, continue to insist Biden bears full responsibility for the suspect’s presence.
The resurfaced clip adds a sharp twist to an already intensifying political fight over the shooting and the broader debate surrounding Afghan resettlement.
Byron Donalds said in 2021 that we have a “responsibility for the Afghans”
No, Byron, we ought to have a responsibility for Americans
You’re either America First or you’re not— and it’s clear which side Byron is on
pic.twitter.com/beqvQkF455— Landon M. Blake (@landonmblake) November 28, 2025
My district office is working on multiple open cases regarding SIV persons still stranded in Afghanistan.
My office and I are leaving no stone unturned in getting everyone eligible out of Afghanistan, but please heed official guidelines to be safe.
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) August 26, 2021
I am baffled by @PressSec talking about the need for Afghan allies & refugees to be vetted & show paperwork when her boss is LITERALLY letting in over a million illegal immigrants through the Southern Border.
What about vetting & paperwork for the people surging the border?
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) September 8, 2021
They found one Republican.
Old news:
CIA under Trump 1 vetted and used suspect in “Operation Zero” torture squads in AFG vs Taliban, according to Trump’s current CIA Director. He then was vetted by bi-partisan sponsored ‘Allies Welcome’ to get him into US. Then Trump’s Immigration Court gave suspect Asylum.
Yes and those of us that remember those days it was an emotional response to a chaotic event with little planning or understanding of what was happening
He was right.
What kind of ally – or supporter of freedom and democracy- cuts and runs, leaving their collaborators behind to be murdered by the victorious forces of repression?
And he still stressed proper vetting and compared to stingy support of the US for their Afghan allies with their generous allowances regarding “undocumented immigrants”.
Trump fixation on blaming Pres Biden for anything is played out. Trump’s act is stale, at 33% approval rating.
It’s tricky. What do you do with these guys? We owe it to them to let them in . But then again they are Muslims . We must be suspicious of all Muslims since it’s a religion of hate that glorifies murder. This is even worse when it’s from a country like Afghan where all they know is jihad vs say the Saudis. Maybe we should let them in but keep them on a tight leash?
It wasn’t one. Washington D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed by a vote of 407-16 the Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act, or Allies Act of 2021 – bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) to increase the visa cap for Afghan interpreters and other partners, and to expedite the visa process. Among its provisions, the bill increases the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) allotment by an additional 8,000 visas, amends the credible threat requirement and removes additional paperwork to establish a credible threat, clarifies eligibility for Afghans who worked for Non-Government Organizations under cooperative agreements and grants with the U.S. government, streamlines duplicative procedures, and allows family members of deceased primary SIV applicants to continue through the process if the primary SIV applicant dies before visa approval.
hes a RINO