Senators riled after closed-door briefing on Niger investigation

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill

BY REBECCA KHEEL - 05/08/18 01:52 PM EDT

Senators emerged from a closed-door briefing Tuesday on the investigation into the ambush in Niger that killed four U.S. soldiers questioning the broader mission there, including whether the Pentagon has concealed from Congress the true nature of its operations in Africa.

“That was a very explosive briefing,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told reporters. “I have deep questions on whether the military is following instructions and limitations that Congress has laid down about the mission of these troops in Africa, and I’ve had those questions, and I think this hearing raised a lot more in a pretty explosive way.”

Calling the idea that the troops were on a train-and-equip mission a “fig leaf,” Kaine added that the briefing “raises questions about why people are hiding from us what they’re doing.” Asked directly if he thinks the military was hiding from Congress what it was doing, Kaine said simply, “Yeah.”

The comments came after the Senate Armed Services Committee received a briefing from Gen. Thomas Thomas Waldhauser, commander of U.S. Africa Command; Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier, who led the investigation into the ambush; Robert Karem, assistant secretary of Defense for international security affairs; and Owen West, assistant secretary of Defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict.



Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/defense/386727-senators-riled-after-closed-door-briefing-on-niger-investigation

[mikeysnot]

1. This would have been another Benghazi

if this happened under Obama

[sandensea]

2. We're just not as good at gutterball politics as they are.

It requires too much indecency.

[TeamPooka]

3. Politically, Democrats need to fight Republicans the way Republicans fight Democrats.

[sandensea]

6. Exactly.

Let's start with Mitch McCocaine.

Don Blankenship has.

[TeamPooka]

7. Yeah, I want our SCOTUS seat back.

[sandensea]

17. And we'll get it when we vote these third world-style despots out in 2020

Kennedy looks as old as his excuses for flip-flopping, and Thomas looks like he's one hissy fit away from a stroke.

[WhiteTara]

26. My only prayer is that McTurtle goes down in this

and we get to see the perp walk.

[lunatica]

11. Except that would entail lying and fabricating alternate facts

and would make us as despicable as the Republicans.

Attacking them with the truth instead of always being on the defensive and trying to engage on that level. Kick their asses with a barraga of facts and just bypass their attacks. Put them on the losing defensive side and keep them there.

Nothing is more powerful as a weapon than the truth.

[sandensea]

13. Right. Hence my caveat at the bottom:

It requires too much indecency.

[lunatica]

15. Yes!

But Democrats do need to get a taste for battle blood. You’re right about that

[sandensea]

16. AND it's not indecency, if it's telling the truth.

How about calling out Mitch McCocaine for his father-in-law's Colombian caper in 2014, for instance (that's who gave Turtle Man most of his net worth, after all).

Don Blankenship's already doing it - and he's a Republican!

[lunatica]

18. This is the first I've heard of this Colombian thing

You should start a thread just to inform people!

[sandensea]

20. I don't blame you - Big Media sat on it like Chris Christie on his beach chair.

Here's the DU thread from back then:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10025750696

Interestingly, the media is now being forced to discuss the incident thanks to, of all people, Don Blankenship.

God works in mysterious ways.

[lunatica]

23. Thanks for the link

I see the story is from 2014! Wow!

[sandensea]

24. You're welcome.

Every time I remember how the media sat on that story, this comes to mind:

[not fooled]

22. The truth is bad enough

too bad it doesn't get widespread coverage.

donnie the criminal thug, mitch selling out everyone but the wealthy. People just don't hear a spade called a spade anymore.

[toddwv]

8. That and we don't chair the Committees... yet.

Patience.

[Blue_Tires]

14. Worse than Benghazi...

Trump hung those soldiers out to dry, one was clearly still alive after evac and left behind, AND then he made a horse's ass of himself to the soldier's widow...

[mikeysnot]

21. Way worse..

I read that because trump insulted the leadership of Chad they pulled out their forces that were working jointly with our troops to secure the area. What was supposed to be a routine patrol became deadly.

The broader timeline begins in the region on September 24, when the Trump administration suddenly and inexplicably added Chad to the list of countries whose citizens would be included in the latest iteration of the president's travel ban. Chad and its leaders were utterly blindsided as there was no sense whatsoever that this nation has harbored or even encouraged terrorists -- certainly no more culpable than such nations as Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, or for that matter Chad's neighbors Mali, Niger and Nigeria, none of which were included on this list.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/21/opinions/niger-chad-travel-ban-trump-andelman-opinion/index.html

[mercuryblues]

27. He put them on the list

because Exxon owed them a lot of money for oil royalties. They were suing to get them. Our secretary of state at the time.....

Ex CEO of Exxon, tillerson.

[Cosmocat]

28. Yeah

Except there is actually some there there with this.

[keithbvadu2]

4. Yet stable genius kills our troops in those countries by refusing them the resources to do their job

Yet stable genius kills our troops in those countries by refusing them the resources to do their jobs.

Too bad the CinC cannot be court martialed for dereliction of duty.

Trump says he knows more then the generals.

All that spare time playing golf when he could have been planning missions and not killing soldiers by assigning less qualified underlings to the task of mission planning.

Our military requested more resources for Niger mission(s) but the Trump administration refused them.

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-trump-niger-20171019-story.html

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Follow the money. So much money was lost in Iraq & Afghanistan as it was fire-hosed in there. . . nt

[atreides1]

9. Was Mattis following orders?

It wouldn't surprise me if the commander on the ground was ordered to capture a high value target in the area...just so Cadet Bone Spurs could have a prize to show off!


Trump and many of these generals have no concern when it comes to the safety of the troops under their command...and I believe that Mattis is only concerned with Mattis!!!

[maryellen99]

10. And when trump orders Iran to be nuked

Mattis is going to follow orders.

[NoMoreRepugs]

12. Have to hope Putin won't allow tRump to do that.

[lunatica]

19. Mattis won't be pushing any nuclear buttons

Unfortunately Trump can do that whenever he chooses, without anyone to stop him. Literally.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

25. Train and equip mission my ass

Anyone in the military that read the reports could see right through the smoke and mirrors. These were not grunts, nor infantry instructors, they were top level, highly trained and highly skilled men. You do not sent men like this into a train and equip mission.

They were ambushed and murdered. DoD, the Pentagon and trump are all lying about this. I would love to have been a fly on the wall in that briefing, because this thing has stunk to high heaven since day one. How many times has the narrative changed now ?

And has Mrs. LaDavid Johnson EVER been told the truth ? The poor woman was denied everything: information about his death, his body in the casket, his possessions, etc. Then our intrepid leaders scolded her and heaped scorn upon her friend and Congresswoman, Frederika Wilson, for seeking the truth and demanding answers. (Shame on you, John Kelly, you're nothing more than a vacuous shill.)

It's high time the truth about this trump-inspired shit show become public. Before it happens again. And again.