The Pentagon's acting inspector general told two Republican senators he'll conduct a review regarding a whistleblower's allegations that the Biden administration evacuated and brought to the U.S. hundreds of individuals whose names appeared on a Defense Department watch list, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The nonpartisan watchdog's evaluation could provide new ammunition for GOP lawmakers who have already signaled plans to hold hearings on the administration's controversial Afghanistan exit if they win control of Congress in November.

Driving the news: Acting IG Sean O'Donnell sent a letter on Tuesday to Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the top Republican on Senate Homeland Security's subcommittee on investigations, and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) informing them of his plans to conduct the review in Fiscal Year 2023, which begins in October.

• O'Donnell said he also plans to evaluate the senators' questions about the whistleblower's allegations that officials on Biden's National Security Council and at the Pentagon cut corners and "did not follow proper procedures when processing evacuees in Afghanistan and at staging bases [in Europe]," according to the letter.
• The Pentagon's IG office made clear this is not a "formal investigation" — as those are typically of a criminal nature.

The backdrop: The Pentagon whistleblower initially reached out to Johnson and Hawley in late July, two sources familiar with the situation told Axios.

• The two senators then sent a letter to O'Donnell...

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