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