Posted on 08/11/2016 6:37:07 AM PDT by Enchante
A leading U.S. general pressured his intelligence analysts into playing down the ISIS and al Qaeda threats, according to a congressional task force.
A House Republican task force has found that officials from the U.S. military’s Central Command altered intelligence reports to portray the U.S. fight against ISIS and al Qaeda in a more positive light than lower-level analysts believed was warranted by the facts on the ground, three officials familiar with the task force’s findings told The Daily Beast.
A roughly 10-page report on the controversy is expected to be released by the end of next week, two officials said. While it contains no definitive evidence that senior Obama administration officials ordered the reports to be doctored, the five-month investigation did corroborate earlier reports that analysts felt the leaders of CENTCOM’s intelligence directorate pressured them to conclude that the threat from ISIS was not as ominous as the analysts believed, the officials said.
“The investigation is ongoing but the report substantiates the claims” that intelligence reports were altered, one official familiar with the report explained to The Daily Beast. Another official said that the investigation could remain open even after report is released.
The task force, led by members of the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees and the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, was created after The Daily Beast first reported that more than 50 analysts had filed a formal complaint alleging their reports on ISIS and al Qaeda’s branch in Syria were being inappropriately altered by senior officials. Some told The Daily Beast they felt they were working in a hostile, toxic office where they felt “bullied” to draw conclusions not supported by the facts.
Some of the intelligence made its way into briefings presented to President Obama. However, administration officials have consistently said that they have confidence in CENTCOM’s reports and that they don’t believe White House policy was guided by false or misleading analysis. The House committee cannot directly punish officials found to have acted inappropriately. But the fact that the appropriations committee was part of the investigation implies that if the military doesn’t respond to the findings, lawmakers could punish CENTCOM by curtailing funds.
CENTCOM officials told The Daily Beast they cannot comment on the report as they have yet to receive it. There also is separate Department of Defense Inspector General investigation into the claims which is ongoing and could release its findings as early as this fall, one official said. The DoD IG report could make recommendations that CENTCOM must act on.
But some of CENTCOM’s intelligence analysts already are concerned that the DoD IG report will not have as much teeth as the House Republican task force report. These military analysts told The Beast that the head of CENTCOM’s intelligence directorate, Maj. Gen. Steven Grove, and his civilian deputy, Gregory Ryckman, had deleted emails and files from computer systems before the inspector general could examine them.
Even the House Republican investigation faced obstacles to its work. Analysts told The Daily Beast, that CENTCOM officials were, at times, in the room while they spoke to House investigators, making some feel they could not speak candidly.
What remains unclear is what led CENTCOM to call for more positive conclusions. Was it a decision by Grove or Ryckman or did come from higher up?
As part of a normal deployment rotation, Grove left CENTCOM’s intelligence directorate this summer and now is stationed at the Pentagon as director of the Army Quadrennial Defense Review Office. He has been replaced by Maj. Gen. Mark R. Quantock. Ryckman remains in the same position.
After the analysts’ complaints emerged publicly, President Obama, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and current CENTCOM commander Army Gen. Joseph Votel have called for what Carter described as “unvarnished intelligence.”
House committee report due soon....
How high up does the scandal reach??
emails destroyed before investigators could read them...
SOP for the dishonest treasonous Demagogues.
Who but the ghetto Democrats didn’t know that, with Obama and Hillary, the most prolific liars in our history, in charge?
It is just about impossible to believe that a CENTCOM General decided on this approach all on his own. The political superiors were getting what they wanted from him.
The article does not specify the time frame, presumably the House panel report will do so. Was this in 2012, when the Obamanation was desperately trying to pretend that all was well, terrorism was receding, Obama was a great success???
This is a valid campaign issue right now, Trump should wrap this around Hillary and Obama for botching the rise of ISIS so badly.
The officers involved...probably ought to hang up their career, and get some job with a hotel resort or glamour magazine.
The question is....if they’ve fed all this bogus info to the White House....what now? How exactly will the White House clean up this mess?
Forgot about this scandal, so many donchaknow.
Hope the find a pile of intent. No good without that these days.
Major Gen’l Grove should be COURT MARTIALED!!! Instead he got a PROMOTION!!
“This is a valid campaign issue right now, Trump should wrap this around Hillary and Obama for botching the rise of ISIS so badly.”
Or perhaps for founding ISIS...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/08/11/trump-charges-obama-with-being-founder-isis.html
This story has made the rounds before. Nobody was indicted that time, either.
Who was the general that spoke at the DNC for Hillary? Lynch? The talk on FR at that time was that he was brought back by 0bama from retirement, to “lead the fight against ISIS”. I suspect it was all part of the plan to fool us all (again).
Of course.
He did his master’s bidding.
“”The DoD IG report could make recommendations that CENTCOM must act on. But some of CENTCOM’s intelligence analysts already are concerned that the DoD IG report will not have as much teeth as the House Republican task force report.””
DOD IG - That’s a laugh. IG’s MONITOR - they don’t actually DO anything worthwhile! They are paid to investigate, write reports and wait for the next scandal to emerge.
“”After the analysts’ complaints emerged publicly, President Obama, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and current CENTCOM commander Army Gen. Joseph Votel have called for what Carter described as “unvarnished intelligence.””
Obama and Ash want unvarnished intelligence - another big whoop!
Word was that intelligence reports not going along with or backing up the WH (political) meme on ISIS were not welcome (those submitting reports were told that) and the CENTCOM General made sure that nothing was going up the line to displease the WH.
I don’t have a link, but read it some time ago in another article.
During Bill Clinton’s reign, the FBI agents in charge of setting fire to the Branch Davidian house in Waco, killing 82 people including over 20 children, were all promoted after the massacre. Ditto for the agents in charge at Ruby Ridge, where Randy Weaver’s 12 yr old son and Mrs. Weaver were gunned down in cold blood. We lived through the Clinton years. Who in their right minds wants a rerun of that horror show?
“”Who was the general that spoke at the DNC for Hillary?””
That was Allen - the one who was also playing footsie with the gal in FL - Petreaus’ bimbo...caught in an email mess and allowed to retire without losing benefits. He OWED the administration.....
DEMOCRATS don’t CARE as long as they more DEAD BABIES and FREE STUFF!! They are EVIL!!
Everything and almost everyone in DC is cooked and ccorrupt, IMO.
Welcome to Sodom and Gomorrah, DC. You know how that ended.
By order of the founder of ISIS Imam Obutthole.
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