Ex-FBI special agent explains Afghan vetting failures in wake of National Guard ambush: ‘Ticking time bomb’

The ambush shooting of 2 National Guard members adjacent the White House is fueling caller scrutiny of the vetting of Afghan evacuees, with erstwhile FBI peculiar cause Nicole Parker telling Fox News Digital the screening process during the rushed 2021 withdrawal was fundamentally a "free-for-all."

Tens of thousands of Afghans were evacuated to the U.S. successful the aftermath of the withdrawal and consequent Taliban takeover of the country. The chaotic quality of the cognition raised concerns astatine the clip from Republicans, and successful authoritative reports, that immoderate evacuees were not decently vetted and could person catastrophic consequences.

"They said it is simply a ticking clip weaponry waiting to detonate due to the fact that we've conscionable allowed each of these radical into our country," Parker told Fox News Digital.

In August 2022, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., revealed that a whistleblower said 324 individuals had entered with derogatory information, portion a 2022 study by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) separately recovered the section failed to decently vet Afghan evacuees entering the U.S., creating imaginable nationalist information risks.

TRUMP ORDER PUTS THOUSANDS OF AFGHAN ALLIES WAITING FOR US RESETTLEMENT IN LIMBO

Streets are blocked aft reports that 2 National Guard soldiers were changeable adjacent the White House successful Washington, divided with National Guard shooting suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal (AP Photo/Anthony Peltier;  Provided by Department of Justice)

Parker told Fox News Digital that FBI agents worked with Department of Defense contractors successful overseas countries to surface Afghans, but the State Department repeatedly overrode information concerns.

"There were individuals that were not being recommended to travel to the United States, yet they were being overridden by the Biden State Department," Parker said. "Initially, it was a free-for-all and nary 1 was being vetted."

The State Department did not instantly respond to a petition for remark regarding the claims.

The OIG study noted that during the evacuation, the Pentagon moved Afghan evacuees to a web of impermanent staging bases known arsenic "lily pads" successful countries similar Germany, Qatar, Spain and Italy. Evacuees stayed determination lone days oregon weeks arsenic U.S. officials attempted accelerated screening and collected biographic and biometric information earlier sending them to the United States.

The inspector wide recovered the lily pads were rushed, understaffed and inconsistent, starring to large documentation gaps, missing records and vetting shortcuts.

Jason Pack, the main enforcement serviceman astatine Media Rep Global Strategies, a nationalist relations and situation communications firm, told Fox News Digital that "it was a monolithic humanitarian operation, but it besides carried unavoidable risk."

"That evacuation moved much than seventy 1000 radical into the state successful a abbreviated play of time," Pack said. "Records were scattered, databases were incomplete, and screening teams were processing radical astatine a gait that made cleanable vetting impossible. Cases similar this unit investigators to spell backmost and analyse those files with caller eyes."

Under OAW, DHS utilized humanitarian parole — usually approved connected a case-by-case ground — to rapidly process tens of thousands of Afghans into the U.S., bypassing the peculiar migrant visa (SIV) and exile programs, which tin instrumentality years.

While the medication touted a multilayered process utilizing aggregate Pentagon, DHS and FBI databases, the audit recovered "critical data" was not ever disposable and that evacuees were admitted without afloat vetting.

A C-17 Globemaster takes disconnected arsenic Taliban fighters unafraid the outer perimeter, alongside the American-controlled broadside of the Hamid Karzai International Airport successful Kabul, Afghanistan, connected Aug. 29, 2021. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)

FORMER IRAQI REFUGEE LIVING IN TEXAS PLEADS GUILTY TO CONSPIRING TO SUPPORT ISIS

"Many times it felt similar anyone was allowed to travel into the United States from Afghanistan, careless of who they were," Parker said. "What happened to our National Guard work members is simply a nonstop effect of their deficiency of vetting."

Parker said it was astir intolerable to vet evacuees due to the fact that they arrived with nary verifiable documents oregon records, leaving thing to tally done quality oregon transgression databases, putting citizens, instrumentality enforcement and the National Guard astatine risk. The 2 West Virginia National Guard members stay successful captious information aft being changeable conscionable blocks from the White House.

"America is afloat of radical we bash not know. We don’t cognize who they are, wherever they are, oregon what sleeper cells are here," she said. 

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro connected Thursday slammed the vetting process that allowed fishy Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, to participate the U.S. done the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome. Pirro said that helium had been surviving successful Washington authorities with his woman and 5 children earlier driving cross-country to scope the nation’s capital.

"Whatever their origin oregon motive whitethorn be, we should not person to unrecorded successful fearfulness successful the nation's capital, particularly by 1 who came present from a overseas country, and done a process that was truthful absurd that helium came done and was released into this country," Pirro said. "This is what happens successful this state erstwhile radical who are not decently vetted are fto in."

WATCH: Pirro, Patel blast Afghan vetting process aft DC ambush connected National Guard members

FBI Director Kash Patel echoed her words, saying they privation to item the alleged lax vetting process.

"This idiosyncratic is successful this state for 1 crushed and 1 crushed alone, due to the fact that of the disastrous withdrawal from the Biden medication and the nonaccomplishment to vet successful immoderate way, signifier oregon signifier this idiosyncratic and countless others," Patel said.

Meanwhile, a Pentagon inspector wide study successful February 2022 revealed that astatine slightest 50 evacuees were brought to the U.S. whose accusation indicated "potentially superior information concerns," and that officials were incapable to find dozens with derogatory information.

Hawley besides uncovered an August 2021 email directive instructing U.S. officials to prioritize filling evacuation flights and to "err connected the broadside of excess," allowing passengers to committee adjacent if their qualifications were not wholly uncertain. Then-FBI Director Christopher Wray said the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces were actively investigating a fig of Afghan evacuees arsenic a result.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., left, and erstwhile Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, right. (Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In a 2021 Senate hearing, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisted that "well implicit 99 percent" of evacuees were screened and vetted earlier boarding flights — but aboriginal acknowledged nether questioning that helium could not warrant that modular applied successful each case.

If the Afghans weren’t vetted earlier getting connected the plane, Mayorkas said, they were "screened and vetted portion successful formation and were placed successful migration enforcement proceedings and successful removal proceedings" if immoderate derogatory accusation was deduced.

When further pressed and reminded by Graham that helium was nether oath, Mayorkas said, "No. No, I can’t talk to that." 

Fox News' Brooke Singman, Adam Shaw and Pat Ward contributed to this report.