EXCLUSIVE: A new Pentagon review of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is set to declassify previously restricted materials from earlier investigations, reopening scrutiny of key decisions made during the Biden administration’s botched 2021 exit from the country. 

The review will include interview transcripts, internal documents and prior findings that officials say were overclassified, according to Pentagon adviser Stu Scheller.

«We plan to declassify all of the documents that we source in this investigation — all the interview transcripts, all the previous investigations that the Biden administration did that have been overclassified,» Scheller told Fox News Digital. «We’re going to declassify all of it so that everyone can make assessments for themselves.»

Unlike earlier reviews that cataloged failures but stopped short of pinning down individual responsibility, this Pentagon effort is examining a broader set of records and conducting extensive interviews with both senior military leaders and rank-and-file troops — a scope officials say could reopen unanswered questions about who made the key decisions during the 2021 withdrawal.

«There will be accountability,» Scheller said. 

GOLD STAR FATHER SAYS PRIOR AFGHANISTAN REVIEW SMELLED ‘LIKE A COVER-UP’ AS NEW LOOK EXAMINES MILLIONS OF DOCS

«We’ve talked to many people, all the key generals… and we also interviewed thousands of young service members,» Scheller told Fox News Digital of the report. «One of the things they said was that they didn’t feel like their experiences were validated.»

President Donald Trump has repeatedly blasted the previous Biden administration over the Abbey Gate tragedy that killed 13 U.S. service members, calling the 2021 withdrawal «a Biden disaster» and «the lowest point in the history of our country.» The administration in May 2025 ordered a new Pentagon review as part of what officials described as his push for accountability.

Scheller’s role in the review marks a striking reversal for a Marine officer who was previously punished after publicly criticizing the military’s handling of the withdrawal.

Then a lieutenant commanding an infantry training unit at Camp Lejeune, Scheller drew national attention in August 2021 after posting a viral video in uniform demanding accountability from senior leaders. He was relieved of command, placed in pretrial confinement and later pleaded guilty at a court-martial.

«I just felt like there wasn’t another voice that was going to advocate for the emperor’s not wearing clothes,» Scheller said. «I didn’t do it haphazardly.»

«God was with me on that one. I got through it. Here I am influencing the changes I originally pointed out.»

British and American security forces maintain order among Afghan evacuees inside Abbey Gate in Kabul on Aug. 25, 2021, during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Marcus Lam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)

Previous investigations by Congress, the Pentagon and federal watchdogs identified a range of failures in planning and executing the withdrawal, including gaps in evacuation efforts, intelligence assessments and senior-level decision-making.

A Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee report found the State Department failed to develop a plan to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies despite mounting warnings that Kabul could fall, delaying evacuation efforts until the Taliban entered the capital.

The report also said U.S. officials were tracking credible threats of a suicide attack in the days leading up to the Abbey Gate bombing — including intelligence pointing to a potential ISIS-K attack at the airport — but operations at the gate continued.

Those conditions are now being reexamined as part of the Pentagon’s review, including how actions by Marines on the ground were recognized.

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Scheller said his team focused early on the unit stationed at Abbey Gate, where several Marines had been nominated for higher awards that were later downgraded during the approval process.

«They had actually submitted awards that were downgraded. So we didn’t create these awards out of nothing,» Scheller said. «All seven of these awards were submitted and we had the formal paperwork from the original write-up.»

Evacuees wait to board a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 23. (Sgt. Isaiah Campbell/U.S. Marine Corps)

The upgrades affected Marines from Company G, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, including cases where commendation medals were elevated to include valor devices and, in one instance, a Bronze Star was upgraded to reflect combat heroism.

The bombing at Abbey Gate killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghans, marking the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan in years.

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The Biden administration has defended its handling of the withdrawal, arguing the decision ended America’s longest war and prevented further U.S. casualties, while accusing critics of politicizing the issue.

A spokesperson for former President Joe Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

El crimen de la modelo Carolina Flores Gómez en su casa de Ciudad de México desató una ola de indignación en todo México. La violencia del hecho y el perfil de la principal sospechosa, su suegra Erika María Herrera, de 63 años, pusieron el caso en el centro de la escena pública.

Las autoridades de la Ciudad de México mantienen activa la búsqueda de la mujer, mientras la investigación avanza bajo el protocolo de feminicidio.

El vínculo familiar y el video clave que complica a la sospechosa

El crimen quedó grabado por una cámara de seguridad. En las imágenes, se observa a Carolina en bata, mientras intercambia unas palabras con su suegra, que tiene la mano en su pantalón.

Luego, la exreina de belleza se dirige hacia otra habitación, mientras su suegra va detrás de ella.

Leé también: Influencer y mamá de un bebé de 8 meses: quién era la modelo que fue asesinada a tiros por su suegra en México

Segundos después ingresan a un cuarto, donde ya no se alcanza a ver exactamente lo que ocurre, solo se escuchan disparos y gritos.

Enseguida llegó el esposo de Carolina, Alejandro Sánchez, con su beba de ocho meses en brazos y le pregunta: “¿qué hiciste mamá?”, a lo que la mujer contesta: “nada, me hizo enojar”.

El hombre observa lo ocurrido y agrega: “es mi familia”. Finalmente, ella responde: “tu familia es mía, tú eres mío y ella te robó”.

Este elemento es considerado clave por los investigadores, ya que apunta a un posible móvil vinculado al control o la obsesión.

Sgún declaró Sánchez ante las autoridades, la relación entre su madre y la modelo estaba marcada por tensiones constantes, lo que incluso motivó a la pareja a mudarse de Ensenada, Baja California, a la Ciudad de México tras el nacimiento de su hija.

“La madre de Alejandro acusaba a Carolina de ‘separarlos’. Solo vino a Ciudad de México a matar a Carolina”, aseguró el periodista especializado Carlos Jímenez, quién reveló el video del crimen.

La actitud serena que mostró la mujer antes del ataque refuerza la hipótesis de que el crimen fue premeditado, según indicaron expertos al diario Debate.

Paramédicos confirmaron que Carolina Flores murió por un disparo en la cabeza. También recibió disparos en el pecho. En el lugar, la policía secuestró un arma de fuego, siete vainas servidas y cuatro balas deformadas.

Otro dato impactante es que Alejandro, el esposo de Carolina, recién al día siguiente se presentó en la Fiscalía General de Justicia de la Ciudad de México para denunciar el crimen y señalar a su madre. Según la madre de la víctima, Reyna Gómez Molina, el joven le dijo que actuó de esa forma para tratar de proteger a su hija.

El pasado político de Erika Herrera y el impacto en Baja California

Antes de este crimen, Erika Herrera tuvo participación en la política local. En 2016, se postuló como candidata a regidora en Ensenada, Baja California, el mismo municipio del que era originaria Carolina Flores.

El pedido de la mamá de la modelo a su consuegra

En una entrevista con el cnal Univisión, Reyna Gómez Molina mandó un mensaje directo a la suegra de su hija, pidiendo que tenga el valor de entregarse.

“No tengo miedo, mi mayor miedo era pasar por esto, lo único que quiero es que se haga justicia que pague la persona que tiene que pagar», sostuvo.

.Y continuó: “No entiendo cómo una mamá me hizo pasar este dolor. Si la señora me está escuchando, por favor, entréguese, sé que va a ser muy difícil dar ese paso, sé que está fugitiva, pero la vamos a encontrar porque todo Ensenada estamos buscando justicia por mi hija”.

Actualmente, las autoridades desplegaron operativos en todo el país para localizar a Erika Herrera y emitieron alertas migratorias para evitar que salga de México.

A top state attorney in Democrat-controlled Maryland says he has had enough and is throwing in the towel after saying the Old Line State has suffered an «insane» «ultra-progressive» takeover.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Haven Shoemaker, state attorney for Maryland’s Carroll County, said that after decades in public service, he is «sick to death» of the policies that «emanate» from the state capital in Annapolis. He said he is especially disgusted with Maryland’s «sanctuary» policies and the high taxes he said are being levied in part to pay for more services for illegal immigrants.

«Maryland has become California on the Chesapeake,» said Shoemaker. «It only gets worse. It’s not getting better. And at some point, I just had to make a personal decision that it’s time to throw in the towel and head for what I believe are greener pastures.»

Shoemaker is not the only one. He said that he sees Marylanders giving up on the state «all the time.»

«The State of Maryland has one of the worst outward migration numbers of any state in the country right now,» he said. «So, I don’t know who’s going to be the last to foot the bill for the profligate spending that Annapolis likes to engage in, but it’s not going to be me, I can tell you that.»

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Moore’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions. Fox News Digital also reached out to Maryland House Speaker Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk and Senate President Bill Ferguson for comment.

Born in Baltimore in the 1960s, Shoemaker spent three decades in local and state politics before taking the job as Carroll County’s top prosecutor in 2023. His career in public service includes seven years as mayor of Hampstead, Maryland, four years as a Carroll County commissioner and nine years in the Maryland House of Delegates. He rose to the role of House Minority Whip for the Maryland Republican Party.

Despite years deeply involved in state politics, Shoemaker said his decision to abandon Maryland has been a long time coming.

«I’ve been contemplating this move for a while, but the linchpin for me was this most recent legislative session where they essentially made Maryland a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants,» he told Fox News Digital.

Earlier this year, the Maryland General Assembly passed an emergency measure to ban local and state law enforcement agencies from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through what is known as the 287(g) program. Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, whose name has been floated as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, signed the bill into law.

While emphasizing that law enforcement would continue cooperating with ICE on deporting individuals who «pose a risk to public safety,» Moore lauded the bill, saying, «We will not allow untrained, unqualified and unaccountable agents to deputize our brave local law enforcement officers,» according to WYPR.

While signing the measure, Moore stressed his view that «Maryland is a community of immigrants,» saying, «It is not our weakness, it’s our strength.»

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The Maryland State Capitol building in Annapolis, Md. (Getty Images)

Shoemaker, meanwhile, said that Maryland’s sanctuary-style policies are «just part of the problem.»

«In addition to that, their tax policy here is horrendous,» he said. He pointed to how state leaders raised taxes in Maryland last year by $1.6 billion.

The tax raise was passed by the State Assembly and approved by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore as part of a $67 billion state budget in 2025. The raise was part of a plan to address roughly a $3.3 billion budget deficit. Maryland’s budget is relatively large compared to other states, despite the state ranking 18th in population and 42nd in land size.

Shoemaker said that state leaders are «already looking at a structural deficit going into next year’s budget of another billion and a half or so.» He asserted the «handwriting is on the wall» that «Maryland politicians are beholden to their ultra-progressive base.»

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speak to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 3, 2024. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg)

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In the end, Shoemaker said that he has finally decided to escape to the South and head for North Carolina.

«A lot of taxpayers from across the State of Maryland are fleeing in droves,» he said. He added a warning to Moore and other Maryland leaders: «If you want to staunch the bleeding that’s occurring, maybe you should rethink your policies.»