Trump Instructs Pentagon to Curb Watchdogs’ Access to Secret Military Reports

[Rogue Valley]

Trump Instructs Pentagon to Curb Watchdogs’ Access to Secret Military Reports

Transparency groups decry move as hindering the work of inspectors general.

President Trump, in a nationally televised Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, instructed acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan to withhold classified battlefield reports from inspectors general, a move that brought objections from transparency advocates. “I can tell you [a] story when I got here about our military that I don’t even want to talk about,” Trump said. “We do these reports on our military. Some IG goes over there, and he goes over there and they do a report on every single thing. We’re fighting wars and they’re doing [a] report and releasing it to the public. The public means the enemy. Those reports should be private reports.” The president continued: “Let them do a report, but they should be private reports and be locked up … [Giving the reports] out to the enemy is insane. And I don’t want it to happen anymore, Mr. Secretary. You understand that?” The nonprofit Project on Government Oversight, which tracks the performance of inspectors general in exposing waste and fraud, called the move “a big step against transparency and accountability.” It cautioned against throwing “a wet blanket of secrecy over all military-related watchdog reports.” Executive Director Danielle Brian said: “It’s been almost 18 years of endless war [in Afghanistan], thousands of lives lost, and billions of taxpayer dollars spent. The American people and Congress deserve to know what’s going on and these reports do exactly that.”

Irvin McCullough, a national security analyst with the nonprofit Government Accountability Project, told Government Executive, “These oversight reports reveal waste, fraud, abuse and even atrocities prolonging this endless war. But watchdog agencies have little authority to act on their own revelations, relying instead on civil society and defense policymakers to demand necessary change. This is a crucial component of the defense accountability system.” Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the newly sworn-in chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has announced that he will challenge Trump on military secrecy. Earlier in the week, Trump issued a signing statement accompanying the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (S. 2736). “A number of provisions in the bill… purport to mandate or regulate submission to the Congress or publication of information protected by executive privilege,” he wrote. “My administration will treat these provisions consistent with the president’s constitutional authority to withhold information, the disclosure of which could impair national security, foreign relations, or the performance of the president’s constitutional duties.”

Yet another Trump assault on US government transparency.

As to the highlighted above, why is Trump worried about an enemy finding out something when Trump himself has publicly telegraphed his withdrawal orders for Syria and Afghanistan to the enemy?

Trump swore to the American people that he would never "tip off his military moves" to the enemy. Another Trump lie.

 

[OrphanSlug]

Standard operating procedure for an authoritarian lunatic.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Trump Instructs Pentagon to Curb Watchdogs’ Access to Secret Military Reports

Transparency groups decry move as hindering the work of inspectors general.



Yet another Trump assault on US government transparency.

As to the highlighted above, why is Trump worried about an enemy finding out something when Trump himself has publicly telegraphed his withdrawal orders for Syria and Afghanistan to the enemy?

Trump swore to the American people that he would never "tip off his military moves" to the enemy. Another Trump lie.

It's only a lie if he follows through, otherwise it's truly slick, the slickest ever, let him tell you, strategy move to confuse the enemy into thinking that our troops actually left - when they come out of hiding, and start dancing on the rooftops to celebrate their victory, then they can be slaughtered much more easily, completely and fantastically with unprecedented ease.

 

[DaveFagan]

Trump Instructs Pentagon to Curb Watchdogs’ Access to Secret Military Reports

Transparency groups decry move as hindering the work of inspectors general.



Yet another Trump assault on US government transparency.

As to the highlighted above, why is Trump worried about an enemy finding out something when Trump himself has publicly telegraphed his withdrawal orders for Syria and Afghanistan to the enemy?

Trump swore to the American people that he would never "tip off his military moves" to the enemy. Another Trump lie.

Ah yes. More gubmint secrecy. That's just got to be a good thing, eh???? Start with Trump's twitter account.
/

 

[Mach]

It's only a lie if he follows through, otherwise it's truly slick, the slickest ever, let him tell you, strategy move to confuse the enemy into thinking that our troops actually left - when they come out of hiding, and start dancing on the rooftops to celebrate their victory, then they can be slaughtered much more easily, completely and fantastically with unprecedented ease.

Nice, you may get a job offer for that one
I do love the turning every bad thing into a secret, brilliant strategy move. And when that doesn't pan out, we've already scrolled over to the next 4 crisis of his own making, where once again, we're told its just his mad genius at work. You hit the nail on the head. And I

 

[Rexedgar]

It's only a lie if he follows through, otherwise it's truly slick, the slickest ever, let him tell you, strategy move to confuse the enemy into thinking that our troops actually left - when they come out of hiding, and start dancing on the rooftops to celebrate their victory, then they can be slaughtered much more easily, completely and fantastically with unprecedented ease.

Yeah, they’ll be studying this strategy at West Point for generations! :mrgreen:

 

[VanceMack]

Other than YET ANOTHER temper tantrum and pants wetting episode for the usual suspects, just what is it exactly that has you folk upset over? What DONT you know about the "almost 18 years of endless war [in Afghanistan], thousands of lives lost, and billions of taxpayer dollars spent" that now has your panties twisted?

 

[ttwtt78640]

Yeah, they’ll be studying this strategy at West Point for generations! :mrgreen:

Yep, if only the generals were so smart.

 

[Xelor]

Trump Instructs Pentagon to Curb Watchdogs’ Access to Secret Military Reports

Transparency groups decry move as hindering the work of inspectors general.



Yet another Trump assault on US government transparency.

As to the highlighted above, why is Trump worried about an enemy finding out something when Trump himself has publicly telegraphed his withdrawal orders for Syria and Afghanistan to the enemy?

Trump swore to the American people that he would never "tip off his military moves" to the enemy. Another Trump lie.

• Secretly undertaken NDAs about which he lies when they're discovered
• Non-disparagement agreements
• Lying about myriad matters great and small and at rates almost 11 times that of the average person
• Won't release his tax returns

...all the while making one outlandish assertion and attestation after another.

Transparency and Trump are like oil and water.

 

[Common Sense 1]

FYI.... Instruction on how to file a "Classified Complaint"


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Submit online form at: http://www.dodig.ic.gov/hotline/index.html
JWICS E-mail: hotline@dodig.ic.gov

 

[ecofarm]

Aren't we kinda handing the enemy battlefield assessments? Do we believe they don't find them useful?

I think it's worth taking a look at. Perhaps the intel committee or the senate could provide a summary for public consumption. Perhaps we could delay the release of the reports.

 

[Mach]

Yeah, they’ll be studying this strategy at West Point for generations! :mrgreen:

That would also be a great parody effort. Time consuming, but imagine a "how to be president" strategy guide based on Trump.