The alleged perpetrator of the recent shooting of two National Guard members in downtown Washington D.C. may have been kept out of American society if not for budget cuts by President Donald Trump's administration.
That's according to #AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver, who told MS NOW on Thursday that alleged shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal – an Afghan national who came to the United States in September of 2021 — could have potentially been stopped before carrying out his act. He cited the 2024 arrest of 19 year-old Afghan national Abdullah Haji Zada, who was apprehended for plotting an Election Day mass shooting in Oklahoma City, as an example of how federal resources can work to prevent acts of terrorism before they happen.
"Nobody should ever have to endure this gun violence that's endemic in our American society. And look, the truth is that this man alone is responsible for his crime. His actions do not represent the Afghan community or Afghan wartime allies, or anybody who stood with us for 20 years," VanDiver said.
"In fact, the FBI's own watchdog confirmed that the vetting systems worked under Kash Patel in in June of 2025. He said there were no systemic failures, so we don't necessarily know what failed yet. But we do know that there are law enforcement mechanisms in place to identify lone wolves, and that worked before the last election, when the man in Oklahoma City was identified and taken out."
"All sorts of people have tried to do these lone wolf attacks. President Trump, through DOGE, wiped away all of the mechanisms meant to protect our American society from that," he continued. "So I would encourage DHS, the FBI, law enforcement around this country to reallocate resources away from stunts at Home Depot and picking up grandmas at immigration court back to the places that keep our country safe."
VanDiver's organization, #AfghanEvac, works to resettle Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban — particularly those who helped the United States during its 20-year war in the Central Asian country. He pointed out that all people applying to move from Afghanistan to the U.S. have to be "thoroughly vetted," and reminded viewers that the Trump administration approved Lakanwal's asylum application earlier this year.
"This gentleman came through Operation Allies Welcome, went through the airport in Kabul, arrived as a parolee on temporary status. And he, for whatever reason, he got Chief of Mission approval, which means he went through vetting then," VanDiver said. "But then he also applied for and received asylum from the Trump administration, which means he was vetted then as well. The CIA, the intelligence community, the larger intelligence community, law enforcement all vetted this guy."
"So we're not certain that that has anything to do with it. What we think is that he was just a deranged man, and the entire Afghan community shouldn't suffer for that," he added. "But look, these folks are facing really hard times, right? They're hiding in Kabul. They're in hiding all all over Afghanistan, trying to come here because of the promises that our diplomats and service members made to them. And the Trump administration shut it all down on day one."