A West Virginia GOP leader said that the horrific pre-Thanksgiving shooting of two National Guard members from his state was a product of President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Wednesday shooting that left 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom of Summersville, W.Va., dead and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe of Inwood, W.Va., fighting for his life was carried out by suspect Rahmahullah Lakanwal, an Afghan refugee who reportedly worked with a unit operated by the CIA during the chaotic evacuation after the Biden administration surrendered the country to the Taliban.
West Virginia Republican Party Chairman Josh Holstein spoke to Fox News Digital about the Thanksgiving shooting and its aftermath, telling the outlet that he was first angered by the news that left him devastated as the Mountaineer State mourns Beckstrom, while Wolfe remains hospitalized in critical condition.
“West Virginia Republican Party Chairman Josh Holstein told Fox News Digital Friday the news angered him, and that anger turned to devastation when Sarah Beckstrom of Summersville, West Virginia, succumbed to her wounds, and as Andrew Wolfe of Inwood, West Virginia, remains in…
— Josh Holstein (@JoshHolsteinWV) November 28, 2025
“It’s just been a horrible tragedy here in West Virginia,” Holstein said. “This doesn’t happen for West Virginians very often, and it’s just such a deep tragedy.”
“One of the things that I’ve … said from the beginning is West Virginia is just one big small town,” he added. “And folks come together in tragedy, in triumph, in everything. We come together and we celebrate, we mourn, always together.”
The Boone County state delegate explained that in times of tragedy, West Virginians come together regardless of their political affiliation.
“West Virginians of all political sides of the aisle came together and just mourn(ed) and share a sense of deep grief, but not only grief, but gratitude for these folks, especially these two young folks,” Holstein said. “And then yesterday, of course, with it being Thanksgiving, it was a somber reminder that not all of us get together with our families on Thanksgiving.”
“These two were at the time, both fighting for their life, and now one has since passed away,” he continued. “I, I just feel that West Virginians in particular have such a unique drive for service. You can see it in our numbers per capita on how many veterans we have compared to other states in the country. We’re always willing and always able to serve each other and…it’s a really, a perfect description of who West Virginians are.”
Holstein said that his emotions turned to fury when he learned that the 29-year-old Lakanwal was an Afghan refugee who “was not even supposed to be here,” telling Fox News Digital that “when you create chaos, chaos follows.”
“That Afghanistan withdrawal was complete debacle; complete chaos,” the GOP leader said. “And it led to people literally running and jumping on planes and coming to the United States as a result of it. It was complete chaos. There was not a deliberate system, irrespective and irregardless of what any of the administration officials of the past administration had said about it.”
“It’s really just an indictment on our country’s immigration system,” Holstein added. “We have an immigration system that puts other people first. It doesn’t put American citizens first, it doesn’t put the good of the country first. It puts other people from random places throughout the country.”
He said that he agrees with President Donald J. Trump, who announced he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries” and “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country.”
“I think this is just yet again an example one thousand of our need to focus more on merit-based immigration and vetting who comes into our country at all times,” he told Fox News Digital.
Holstein also expressed support for the deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., despite the shooting.
“We can’t cower to people like this (Lakanwal). You can’t cower in tragedy,” he told the outlet, noting that there are about 150 troops from his state serving in the nation’s capital.
“So, I hope to see everybody stay there and maybe even have some more folks come in from different places,” Holstein said.
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