DISASTER IN YEMEN: Security vet demolishes Trump team talking point
With each passing day, new details emerge that only amplify the picture of ineptitude and amateurism that led to a Navy Seal and an 8-year-old American girl being killed in a raid on an Al Qaeda stronghold in Yemen. Salon’s Matthew Rozsa found a string of Tweets from a member of President Obama’s national security team:
Colin Kahl, who served as a national security official under President Barack Obama, fired off a series of tweets on Thursday arguing that while the Defense Department had discussed Yemeni raids with Obama in a general fashion, the specific raid attempted by the Trump administration was not brought up.
Some Yemen facts: 1/DoD worked up GENERAL proposal for OVERALL set of expanded authorities for these types of raids at end of Obama admin
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 2, 2017
2/The broad package was discussed in the interagency in the closing weeks of the Obama term. This particular raid was NOT discussed.
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 2, 2017
3/Moreover no recommendation was made other than a recommendation to provide the next Administration with the necessary information.
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 2, 2017
4/Idea was for next team to run a deliberative process to assess risks.
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 2, 2017
5/And, critically, Obama made no decisions on this before leaving office, believing it represented escalation of U.S. involvement in Yemen
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 2, 2017
6/And therefore should not be something he decided a few days before leaving office. Obama thought the next team should take a careful look.
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 2, 2017
7/ And run a careful process. From what I've read and heard, however, team Trump didn't do a careful vetting of the overall proposal or raid
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 2, 2017
8/Instead, Trump apparently had dinner with Mattis/Dunford and greenlit the op. I've heard there was a Deputies meeting the next day, but…
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 2, 2017
9/DC was brief and basically irrelevant since the decision had been made the night before.
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 2, 2017
10/So, in a nutshell, Trump and his team owns the process and the ultimate decision–and the consequences.
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 2, 2017
From NSC director for Yemen under Obama: https://t.co/Lyc5hTsDjD
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 2, 2017
False: "Jan. 6…deputies committee, recommended the plan go forward, Mr. Spicer said." I was in meeting. No rec. https://t.co/YDXAFd1NwL
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 3, 2017
Later, when an anonymous official told The Washington Post that “the raid had been planned several months and was given full consideration by the previous administration,” Kahl made it clear that this was not true.
@DanLamothe Totally false. DoD came forward w/general request for authority to do raids, but no specific CONOP briefed to/approved by Obama
— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) February 3, 2017
The botched Yemen raid has garnered only passing mention on the various evening news programs, but it has all the hallmarks of a major scandal.
Which Republican will dare to be the first to demand hearings?
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By: dave-dr-gonzo
David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.
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16 responses to DISASTER IN YEMEN: Security vet demolishes Trump team talking point
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Guy Lauten February 3rd, 2017 at 12:37
Since G-Man Chaffetz’s attempt to sell off our land got shot down by public derision, he should have plenty of time to investigate this actual screw-up. Benghazi!
Roctuna February 3rd, 2017 at 15:06
If that happened on HRC’s watch the investigation would’ve already begun
mea_mark February 3rd, 2017 at 12:37
You don’t make decisions like this casually over dinner. This should clearly be grounds for removal based on incompetence. If the GOP is too incompetent to remove tRump, then the nation should remove the GOP from governing, based on their incompetence. If we don’t do something soon we will be involved in a World War and we won’t have a functioning government while doing it. Basically we will be toast.
William February 3rd, 2017 at 13:35
I heard that Trump ordered a stand down. Time to convene 19 or twenty investigations.
StoneyCurtisll February 4th, 2017 at 05:46
I’m not going to hold my breath…
We can’t even get an investigation into Russian hacking of our election.
nola878 February 3rd, 2017 at 13:42
Rump was clearly looking for an easy win that he could brag about.
Since it failed, his feet need to be held to the fire.
But they won’t be…how many more botched raids will take place before people start demanding answers? Too many, I fear.
anothertoothpick February 3rd, 2017 at 13:48
Benghazi in trumpee’s first week?
The righties should be FURIOUS!
granpa.usthai February 3rd, 2017 at 23:57
worse than Benghazi.
US was responding to a raid on it’s mission (evidently not fast enough for the republican controlled congress)
while this was a raid CONDUCTED by the US Military from someone’s command.
StoneyCurtisll February 4th, 2017 at 05:44
The righties should be FURIOUS!
My dear boy…
Trump can do no wrong in the eyes of the righties..:)
Jungle_Bhoy February 3rd, 2017 at 20:10
You got that right – don’t waste your time looking for the cowardly media reporting on this!
granpa.usthai February 4th, 2017 at 00:15
that’s my view also.
basically, trump (a certified COWARD to actual military service) was trying to become a part of the brotherhood of veterans – kinda like a 10 year old playing soldier hero.
what it actually equates to is team trump USING the military for their own political purposes (intentional ABUSE of Power) that they will certainly use as long as they can get away with it. the republican controlled congress refusing to put a stop to it only implicates their complicity in the LAWLESSNESS of trump’s administration.
StoneyCurtisll February 4th, 2017 at 05:37
According to the administration, the raid was a “massive success”…
“Terrific and totally magnificent, the likes of which has never been seen”…
” I do the best raids, believe me”…:)
Willys41 February 3rd, 2017 at 16:02
Clearly Trump didn’t give our military the support and resources it needed and therefore he sent our troops to their inevitable deaths.
Time for 34 or 108 congressional investigations and 87 special prosecutors.
LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!! LOCK HIM UP!!
Suzanne McFly February 3rd, 2017 at 18:24
Well chafetz is too busy investigating the hair color Hillary uses, so we will have to find another Sherlock Holmes.
granpa.usthai February 4th, 2017 at 00:06
some informative questions would be:
who ordered the raid?
what information did they have that prompted them to give the order to go?
what backup plans were in effect to prevent unnecessary unarmed civilian deaths (a major point in determining if this constitutes a war crimes hearing).
what other nations of concern were contacted before this raid on the sovereign territory of Yemen?
StoneyCurtisll February 4th, 2017 at 05:33
This is an administration that will lie about crowd sizes and 3-5 million voter fraud, (among other things)…
Why wouldn’t they lie about this raid gone bad?
It is impossible to believe anything they tell the public.