Treason charges heard against U.S. officer

MSNBC ^

[SoldierMedic]

BAGHDAD - Prosecutors alleged Monday that a U.S. officer gave computer programs to a prisoner’s daughter in Iraq, beginning to lay out their case at a hearing to determine if evidence warrants a trial on charges that include the capital offense of aiding the enemy.

Lt. Col. William H. Steele, an Army reservist from Virginia serving full time, also is accused of fraternizing with the detainee’s daughter, illegally storing classified material, maintaining an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter, possessing pornographic videos, failing to obey an order and dereliction of duty regarding government funds.

[SoldierMedic]

This is the first I had heard about this.

[Hunble]

I would need a few more details....

Each and every single item as specified, could be perfectly innocent in the proper context.

[LeoWindhorse]

just drop him off in Sadr City at about 9 PM on a saturday night , unarmed....
The military needs to purge itself of rotten officers anyway,
here’s a good place ( and way) to start .

[Hunble]

As I read this:

He was shacking up with this chick, and his commanding officer got pissed.

If you have been in the military as long as I was, you can often sniff out these "conduct unbecoming an officer" type of charges, and recognize what is actually going on.

[2ndDivisionVet]

When do Dingy Harry Reid, Madame Speaker Pelosi, Cindy “Mother Moonbat” Sheehan, Rosie O’Donut, Alec Baldwin, and a couple of thousand others go on trial?

[stinkerpot65]

Who knows? So many phony charges coming out of the military these days. Military prosecutors lie so much you don’t know when to believe them.

[SoldierMedic]

One witness saw him download something onto a bunch of CD’s from a government computer to give to the inmates daughter. Regardless of what was on those dics, this shouldn’t have been done.

[Hunble]

Item by item:

1) "...fraternizing with the detainee’s daughter..."

Note that her father was only classified as a detainee, and that she was not considered a security risk.

2) ...illegally storing classified material..."

Difficult to figure out, since the classified material was not specified. My guess? Something trivial, like a telephone book, was found in her home. Yes, a telephone book is "classified material!"

3) ..."maintaining an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter..."

Well, now we know that this woman was an interpreter! Do we now have a security breach, and is her life now in danger?

4) ..."possessing pornographic videos"...

Some pictures or videos of his lover were found in her home or in his possession? Oh the horror!

5) ..."failing to obey an order"...

I am kinda lost on this one, since there are no details specified. Again, I suspect that his commanding officer simply got pissed about a private relationship.

[DMedic91B]

Now all he needs to do is avow that we have already lost the war in Iraq, and he’s a shoo in for a Pentagon position, with the Democrats in charge that is.

[Hunble]

Lt. Col.

That is all that I needed to read. You do got obtain that rank, unless you are darn good at your job and have a proud history of serving your country.

[EagleUSA]

Now all he needs to do is avow that we have already lost the war in Iraq, and he’s a shoo in for a Pentagon position, with the Democrats in charge that is.
:::
Good point. That is how it works -— Murtha is living proof of that. They are all banking on an Iraq defeat and retreat and a socialist White House and Congress. God help America if that happens...

[Bush Revolution]

I don’t know, you would have to really piss someone off as LTCOL to get trumped up charges, those usually happen to us enlisted. You know classified material can never be in your personal space, ever. It’s too early to tell, but it seems to me he may have done some inappropriate things.

[KarinG1]

I’ve made a few mistakes in my time. Nobody’s perfect.

[Hunble]

You are probably correct, but I had to show the "other side of the story" for those that have never been in the military.

My hunch?

His commanding officer also had the hots for this woman, and he has abused the UCMJ as an act of revenge.

Why?

Because of the "shot-gun" type of legal violations that this LTC is being charged with.

[Bush Revolution]

You are right, look at Haditha, those guys are being hung out to dry for political reasons. I do agree with you, I have seen pride and “out to get that person” ruin careers. You are right to be suspect, after all the Military is it’s own little bureaucracy you know?

[supercat]

The defendant should stand in line and be tried for treason after the rats in the Capitol.

[Bush Revolution]

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And after that, the NYT and all the others..don’t want to waste my time naming ...you know

[Hunble]

Thanks, I was wondering if I was a minority of one.

To me, this sounded like something a SGT would do to a PVT, where there was a love triangle involved.

[Bush Revolution]

Yeah, and unfortunately it happens too often. I hope I can say something and not make everyone made at me, but here goes...

my hunch

Reservists don’t know the rules as well as Active duty and it can get them in trouble sometimes. I was in Kuwait and some of the Reservists we were with acted as if it was the first time they have ever been in power. I’m NOT saying all reservists are this way, they are honorable and I’m glad they serve, but there are so many things you do not know about being on active duty if you haveo nly been a reservist and get activated. It is not the same. Lastly, I respect all reservists, I’m just pointing out that sometimes they don’t know all the rules.

[Screamname]

“He had a conversation with one of the detainee’s daughters. He gave her a box containing some computer programs and computer sheets,”

Well at least he didn`t meet with the leader of a terrorist country and say/reveal God knows what.