West Virginia National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, the surviving victim of last week’s ambush near the White House, has been upgraded from critical to serious condition and is showing new signs of responsiveness.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey told reporters at a news conference Dec. 1 that Wolfe responded to a nurse who asked him to give a thumbs up if he could hear and had also “wiggled his toes.”
The governor added that Wolfe’s parents are asking the public for continued prayers.
As CatholicVote previously reported, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, ambushed two members of the West Virginia National Guard Nov. 26 in Washington D.C., just blocks from the White House. National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries Nov. 27 at George Washington University Hospital after surgery, FOX News reported.
Federal prosecutors have since charged Lakanwal with first-degree murder and are preparing a death penalty authorization request, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Nov. 28. Speaking on FOX News Channel Nov. 28, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro described the attack as “ambush-style” and said the FBI is investigating it as potential domestic terrorism.
At a Dec. 1 press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt lauded the bravery of the two guardsmen.
“Both of them truly embody the profound words spoken by Jesus Christ in the Gospel: ‘Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,’” she said. “Sarah and Andrew are heroes, and we will never forget their sacrifice.”
Radicalization questions and alleged vetting failures
Lakanwal entered the U.S. on Sept. 8, 2021, under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome Program, which resettled Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Newly obtained emails sent to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in 2023 — released Nov. 30 by the Associated Press — revealed that Lakanwal experienced “‘manic’ episodes for one or two weeks at a time,” neglected his five children, and took unexplained cross-country drives.
Appearing on NBC News Nov. 30, Noem said investigators now believe Lakanwal was radicalized after arriving in the U.S., pointing to contacts within the Afghan community.
“We believe he was radicalized since he’s been here in this country,” Noem told NBC News. “We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, who were his family members.”
Noem criticized what she argued was inadequate vetting under the Biden administration. In a separate interview on ABC News’ “This Week,” she claimed any screening done on Lakanwal was “not done well, based on what the guidelines were put forward by President Biden,” according to ABC News.
Anchor Jonathan Karl pressed her on whether the Trump administration reviewed Lakanwal’s case, noting that he received asylum earlier this year, several months after Trump took office.
Noem insisted that the Biden administration collected the information used in his vetting process and initiated his asylum application.
“All the information that was gathered on that vetting process was gathered under the Biden administration,” she said, ABC reported. “His asylum claim application started under the Biden administration. That information was provided by them, and the responsibility lies with them.”
Trump administration’s response
The Trump administration has responded aggressively to the shooting, framing the ambush as a failure of the Biden-era immigration policy. On Nov. 26, the Department of Homeland Security issued an indefinite suspension of all Afghan immigration processes, including humanitarian parole and residency applications.
Two days later, the administration expanded the suspension to a nationwide pause on all asylum decisions. The State Department has also paused visa issuances for Afghan passport holders, citing public safety concerns.
Leavitt said the administration is “actively re-examining” all Afghan nationals admitted under former President Joe Biden.
“President Trump believes that he has a sacred obligation to reverse the calamity of mass unchecked migration into our country,” Leavitt told reporters during the White House briefing. “As a result, the Trump administration is now actively re-examining all of the Afghans imported into the country by Joe Biden. Any individual who threatens our national security or our citizenry will be subject to removal.”
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