Two members of Congress flew unannounced into Kabul airport in the middle of the chaotic evacuation stunning State Department and U.S. military personnel who had to divert resources to provide security and information to the lawmakers, U.S. officials said.

Pentagon officials said later Wednesday that they were "unaware" of the visit ahead of time, adding that the trip "took time away" from the U.S. military as it scrambles to evacuate personnel and wind down its nearly 20-year operation in the country.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., flew in and out on charter aircraft and were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours Tuesday. That led officials to complain that they could be taking seats that would have otherwise gone to other Americans or Afghans fleeing the country, but the congressmen said in a joint statement that they made sure to leave on a flight with empty seats.

“As Members of Congress, we have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch,'” the two said in their statement. “We conducted this visit in secret, speaking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand.”

"We left on a plane with empty seats, seated in crew-only seats to ensure that nobody who needed a seat would lose one because of our presence," they added.

The two lawmakers are both military veterans, with backgrounds in the region. Moulton, a Marine who has been outspoken critic of the Iraq War, served multiple tours in Iraq. Meijer was deployed as part of the Army Reserves and later worked in Afghanistan at a nongovernmental organization providing aid. Moulton serves on the House Armed Services Committee and Meijer is on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass. (AP Photo, File)

But officials familiar with the flight said that State Department, Defense Department and White House officials were "furious" about the incident because, which was done without coordination with diplomats or military commanders directing the evacuation, according to multiple reports.

Three officials familiar with the flight said that State Department, Defense Department and White House officials were furious about the incident because it was done without coordination with diplomats or military commanders directing the evacuation.

The Associated Press reports that the military learned of the visit as the lawmakers' aircraft was flying into Kabul.

"We are obviously not encouraging VIP visits to a very tense, dangerous and dynamic situation at that airport and inside Kabul generally," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said during a press briefing Wednesday, adding: "They certainly took time away from what we had been planning to do that day."

Kirby said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin "would have appreciated the opportunity" to speak with them before their visit.

One senior U.S. official said the administration saw the lawmakers' visit as manifestly unhelpful and several other officials said the visit was viewed as a distraction for troops and commanders at the airport who are waging a race against time to evacuate thousands of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others as quickly as possible.

"It’s as moronic as it is selfish," an official told the Washington Post. "They’re taking seats away from Americans and at-risk Afghans — while putting our diplomats and service members at greater risk — so they can have a moment in front of the cameras."

The trip also blindsided House leadership, as well as members of the armed services and foreign affairs committees.

"We don't want anyone to think this was a good idea. There's a real concern about members being in the region," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a press conference Wednesday, adding that she learned about their visit "a little bit before it was in the public domain" on Tuesday, but maintained silence due to safety concerns.

"Until they were airborne, it would not have been safe for them," Pelosi continued. "It's not just about them to Afghanistan, going into the region, there's a cost on our resources as well. This is deadly serious."

"There's a lot of work there to be done by the men and women in the military. I think that puts an extra burden on them," said House Foreign Affairs Chairman Gregory Meeks of New York. "I don't think it helps necessarily for us to be going over there, and we're trying to get people out of there."

Another member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), also condemned the decision to travel to Afghanistan at the eleventh hour, writing on Twitter: "Whether it is Haiti or Afghanistan, taking up space in a disaster zone for your own ego helps no one."

Speaker Pelosi issued a statement Tuesday evening taking note of the desire of some legislators to visit Afghanistan and saying she was writing to “reiterate that the Departments of Defense and State have requested that Members not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger."

"Ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of individuals at risk requires the full focus and attention of the U.S. military and diplomatic teams on the ground in Afghanistan," she added. "Member travel to the Afghanistan and the surrounding countries would unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating America and Afghans at risk from Afghanistan."

The Pentagon has repeatedly expressed concerns about security threats in Kabul, including by the Islamic State group. When members of Congress have routinely gone to war zones over the past two decades, their visits are typically long planned and coordinated with officials on the ground in order to ensure their safety.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he is sticking to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing the risky airlift as people flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

The two congressmen said they went into their visit wanting “to push the president to extend the August 31st deadline. After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won’t get everyone out on time, even by September 11.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.