Posted on 06/05/2014 4:11:25 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
A former Veterans Affairs official apologized Thursday for suggesting that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl may have left his post in Afghanistan five years ago because he was surrounded by “psychopaths.”
“While I just wanted to make the point that the public should wait before passing judgment, I unfortunately used my own poor judgment in choosing inappropriate language that many view as disparaging to U.S. service members,” Brandon Friedman, who currently serves as a spokesman for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, told BuzzFeed.
“That was certainly not my intent and I regret making the comments on my personal account in such a way. I apologize to those with whom I work in the Administration, at HUD, and, most importantly, to any service members who took offense,” he said.
Friedman, himself a veteran, sparked outrage Wednesday night after he floated the idea that maybe Bergdahl's comrades pushed him to leave his post.
“Here's the thing about Bergdahl and the Jump-to-Conclusions mats: What if his platoon was long on psychopaths and short on leadership?” Friedman asked in a series of tweets. “What if [Bergdahl] grew disillusioned with what he saw, didn't trust his leadership, and walked off? Legal? No. Worthy of sympathy? Maybe.”
“If that were the case, the soldiers in his platoon would have all the more reason to smear him publicly now,” he added. “Given other examples, it’s not out of the realm of possibility–and more reason to withhold judgment until after an investigation.”
His musings were met with predictable pushback, ultimately forcing him to walk back the claim.
“I'd like to clarify tweets I wrote last night on my personal Twitter account concerning the return of Bowe Bergdahl. First, I do not speak for the Administration on national security issues in any capacity -- public or personal,” he told BuzzFeed. “As a former infantry officer and combat veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, I have only the highest regard for our servicemen and women. They are my friends, my colleagues, my mentors, my brothers, and sisters.”
A former veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2004, Friedman was vice chairman of the Democratic-aligned organization VoteVets before joining the Obama administration in 2009 as a public affairs officer in the Veterans Affairs Department.
did he walk back the idea that it would be okay to commit treason and join the enemy of the squad were nuts?
Brandon Friedman, the enemy within. TREASON - continuous, in-your-face, agenda-driven, collective-conspired, ongoing.
What a piece of $h!t. He was willing to lie to protect the big boss.
What is really known about this guy. Is a political appointee who has been backdoored into a GS civil service position? What did he do in Iraq and when,exactly, was he there? Does any Freeper actually have knowledge of this man. At the least his unprofessional behavior should generate lots of mail to Freeper friendly Congresscritters such as Louis Gomert demanding that he be fired.
and this idiot was named by Obama to a post in the VA...no wonder the VA has so many problems.
Brandon Friedman, who currently serves as a spokesman for the Department of Housing and Urban Development…
DISMANTLE H.U.D.
Well, at least he doesn’t work in the VA any longer.
Will someone please ask the president or state department how much cash was thrown in on the deal as well?
It's pretty clear that was a requirement in the past. Funny if it just left the table?
“Given other examples, it’s not out of the realm of possibility–”
What examples? If you’re going to say “given other examples”, you should give at least two.
Stockman to Obama: Did you pay terrorists?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3164142/posts
When your loved one is in jeopardy any rationalization will do, not matter how absurd. Remember “sex is not sex.” This clown may be a veteran but he has displayed his contempt for the military, a characteristic of the left. The deserter is a hero, his comrades are sickos. “Ignorance is strength.”
I agree with you. The more we learn about Bergdahl the more it seems like he may have developed schizophrenia.
The EVIDENCE has been on the table for all to see for 5 years!
Obama knows the facts and that’s why he FORCED Bowe’s fellow Soldiers to sign NDAs!
Obama wants a prop for his agenda, and has only contempt for the facts that would get in his way.
I’ll wait for a fair trial before the hanging, but the guilty verdict is already in.
George Washington would have frog marched that man behind the nearest barn.
From a combat officer to a HUD spokesman. Now that is a put-down in the job career.
Yet, the pay is higher and nobody is shooting at you, but the job has “no honor”, being a mealymouthed regime shister and propagandist.
If he belongs to any veterans group, I hope that they oust his backstabbing ass, ASAP.
A typical Obama asskissing appointee.
George Patton might have shot him.
I wonder if there’s a prog equivalent of journal-list where they coordinate their talking points? Shortly after he started floating this claim, Pelosi’s daughter was pushing a different version of the same story, demanding an investigation of the “defective platoon”.
From the condition of the VA system it looks like it has been run by psychopaths.
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