McChrystal Staff Under Investigation For Rolling Stone Interview

McClatchy:

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army inspector general is investigating whether aides to former Afghanistan commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal were insubordinate when they made a series of derogatory comments about top civilian leaders to a Rolling Stone reporter, McClatchy has learned.

The investigation comes as the Pentagon grapples with how much access the reporter who wrote the piece, Michael Hastings, should have to troops. Hastings was banned from a scheduled embed this September in Afghanistan for being untrustworthy, Col. David Lapan, the director of the Pentagon press office, said Tuesday.

Read the whole story: McClatchy

Comments

[banker67]

11:26 AM on 08/04/2010

If they said it, they should face the consequences.
No one forced them to say those things and a derogatory comment from the brass about anything quickly becomes gospel among the lower rates.
No one forced McChrystal and his palace guard to take the job; they took it because they wanted it. They knew criticism of civilian officials was a violation of military code and they knew it would undercut the morale of their own troops.
So get ready for the lowliest McChrystal aide to take the heat while McChrystal fills his bank account with six-figure speaking fees for far-right millionaires. His higher-ranking aides may retire too and join McChrystal's upcoming campaign for the White House, or at least a Senate seat.
Think of all those bailout billions just waiting to be put to work on campaigns to oust Obama and anyone perceived by the far right as 'liberal.' McChrsytal will be their noble standard bearer, just as Ollie 'sure-I-sold-top-secret-weapons-to-the-Ayatollas' North became a multi-millionaire on speaking fees and then ran for the Senate as a GOP hero.
Gross insubordination? Selling top-secret weapons to an officially hostile government, and running a completely illegal war against Nicaragua despite an clear prohibition by Congress?
How could little things like that diminish the military heroism of officers like these two in the eyes of the far right?

[hallowellboy]

09:25 AM on 08/04/2010

McChrystal got away without a scratch for insubordination to the Commander in Chief in a time of war. Instead, he resigned on his own terms and got a golden parachute to boot. Disgraceful.

[morgan1]

08:40 AM on 08/04/2010

Let's be clear here. He was not disgraced as he was allowed to keep his 4th star. More money but more important that will allow him to be a consultant for MSM and the WH. He can go to Blackwater (Or whatever they will be calling themselves next) and obtain govt. contracts for more genocide and murder. His proficiency is covert ops and black bag missions. That is a more important role than the one he possessed--His plan was failing and the WH needed a real excuse to remove him. They got it with the RS article. Now the Army is looking for enlisted scapegoats to hang this on. Look for one or more to be charged shortly.

[anothervoice]

07:30 AM on 08/04/2010

About time. That little self-fulfilling cult of personality is a toxic meme. The DoD is right to shed some light on it.

[KeysDan]

03:40 AM on 08/04/2010

Forget the message, let's get the messengers.

[missouriwatcher]

02:36 AM on 08/04/2010

I say it is high time that the staff get investigated; they were making the disparaging remarks, as I recall, and need to be called on the carpet for it. That kind of behaviour is not permitted in the military, and they had enough experience to have known better.

[parlimentMike]

01:49 AM on 08/04/2010

Perfect, once again the one in charge of the bad behavior cashes in, and the little people pay.

His staff are about to be Abu Ghraibed.

[Troubledwawa]

12:54 AM on 08/04/2010

In that Rolling Stone article, McChrystal's staff was insubordinate to their chain of command - all the way to the Commander in Chief. Once the prosecution gets ahold of those recordings, that'll be it for the staff. Career over.

[xlntcat]

02:21 AM on 08/04/2010

From what I have heard from member of the military concerned about the emerging group of "Cowboy" soldiers with no respect for military or self discipline, it needs to be over for the staff.
Thinking that you can clear up that kind of blight in the military or that you clean up corruption in a government agency simply by getting rid of the top man is a misconception. In 2008, FEMA remained as corrupt, as wasteful and as incompetent as it was in 2005 during Katrina. The only difference was that you had competent state and local officials to cover for them. When after 5 days you cannot figure out how to distribute water, you are to incompetent to continue to earn a paycheck.

[morgan1]

08:56 AM on 08/04/2010

It will not be over. His staff (Or some part of it) will go with him whereever he lands. These are people who are trained assassins. They are indeed cowboys who have gone off the reservation and do what is necessary in covert ops and targeted assassins. They have been with him for years in COIN operations, are highly trained specialists who do not take kindly to outsiders telling them what to do. The least important of his "staff" will take the hit for the team. That is the way it works in this shadow outfit. Many Seals and Delta force veterans have left the military for the private contractors--More money and more important, they cannot be charged or held accountable for murder. This is the way it works.

[arlandbaee]

12:01 AM on 08/04/2010

Does anyone here even remember Admiral Fallon resigning under strikingly similar circumstances? It's funny how the democrats are accused for both resignations. Isn't it?

[Coinyer101]

11:24 PM on 08/03/2010

*Hastings was banned from a scheduled embed this September in Afghanistan for being untrustworthy*


What a bunch of 'aspholes'...., ban a reporter because the general's staff ran their pieholes?

Our military leadership is really starting to suck.

[freelyb]

03:02 AM on 08/04/2010

Lapan was on hand for the pre-meditated murder of 100,000+ Iraqi civilians not too long ago. Now, WHO IS REALLY untrustworthy?? And why don't we seem to care?

[booker52]

11:05 PM on 08/03/2010

The reporter told the truth. Something which other reporters are afraid to do as the want continued access.

[shelchak]

10:58 PM on 08/03/2010

Well, good. I've been wondering if his staff would incur ANY consequences for their behavior, and hoped that SOMEONE would be investigating the situation. They shouldn't get to keep their jobs if McChrystal had to lose his.

[WorriedParent]

10:58 PM on 08/03/2010

In other words, if a journalist reports what he sees and hears, without editing, redacting, falsifying, obfuscating, then he should not have a job. Got it.

We live in Orwellian times.

[IfIonlyknew]

01:38 AM on 08/04/2010

Bingo.

[customgreen]

10:52 PM on 08/03/2010

I see no problem in investigating his aides. They need to understand that the civilians are in control.

[xlntcat]

02:22 AM on 08/04/2010

When Rome lost control of its military, it sealed its fate,.

[graffitijoe]

10:52 PM on 08/03/2010

Not one photo of Obama on the front page or the politics page - isn't that wierd?

Maybe it's because of this:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/gallup-daily-obama-job-approval.aspx

Low forties in job approval - heading for the thirties by the mid-term elections?

[anothervoice]

07:32 AM on 08/04/2010

Try not to sound so hopeful. It's demeaning.