Pentagon inquiry clears McChrystal of wrongdoing

Monday, April 18, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pentagon inquiry into a Rolling Stone magazine profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal that led to his dismissal as the top US commander in Afghanistan has cleared him of wrongdoing.

The probe’s results released Monday also called into question the accuracy of the magazine’s report last June, which quoted anonymously people around McChrystal making disparaging remarks about members of President Barack Obama’s national security team, including Vice President Joe Biden.

At the time he dismissed McChrystal, Obama said the general had fallen short of “the standard that should be set by a commanding general.” The Defense Department inspector general’s report, however, concluded that available evidence did not support the conclusion that McChrystal had violated any applicable legal or ethics standard.

Last week the White House tapped McChrystal to head a new advisory board to support military families, an initiative led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of the vice president. The selection of McChrystal was announced on April 12, four days after the inspector general’s report was finished.

The inspector general’s conclusions were first reported Monday by The New York Times, which obtained the report under a Freedom of Information Act request. The Pentagon subsequently posted the report on its website.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to comment on the report.

The inspector general’s report said it reviewed an unpublished Army investigation of the case and interviewed numerous eyewitnesses. It said McChrystal declined an invitation to provide sworn testimony, saying he had already testified to Army investigators. He also declined to comment on the IG’s conclusions.

“In some instances, we found no witnesses who acknowledged making or hearing the comments as reported,” the Pentagon report said. “In other instances, we confirmed that the general substance of an incident at issue occurred, but not in the exact context described in the article.”

Rolling Stone issued a statement saying it stands behind its story, which it called “accurate in every detail.”

After the Rolling Stone article was published, McChrystal was summoned to the White House and dismissed. He was replaced by Gen. David Petraeus.

Obama at the time called the dismissal the right decision for U.S. national security and said McChrystal’s conduct represented in the magazine article also “undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system. And it erodes the trust that’s necessary for our team to work together to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan.”

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mokyfellow 2 years, 1 month ago

Now if we could get rid of Obama as easy as he got rid of McChyrstal everything wold be hunky-dory!!!

3blindmice 2 years, 1 month ago

asking the military to investigate itself is like asking a fox to guard the henhouse

wcywing 2 years, 1 month ago

not really, in court martials, the prosecution has a 90% conviction rate. of course trying to convict a general is a lot harder to do than an elisted solidier. that being said, the Pentagon is one of the leanest, meanest propaganda machines out there. almost as good as the White House.

justaword 2 years, 1 month ago

Historically, generals have often put their foot, not on the ground with their troops, but in their mouth. President Truman dismissed one of his; our current President had to do so to. I read the entire “Stone” article. I only wonder about the judgmental intelligence of a general speaking so openly, badmouthing not only our government, but the political leadership of other countries, (many who were our allies.)

One of our ideologue threaders, I suspect has not read the "Stone" article. McChyrstal and his staff was supportive, had positives, for reactionary right hated Hillary Clinton! It is also not true active military have the same civil rights that civilians enjoy. Can you imagine a weapons company, active combat 1st Sergeant saying the very same things about McChyrstal? Now, threader tell us about those free speech rights!

With military judgement like McChystral, no wonder we are still fighting unwinnable wars.

tonto 2 years, 1 month ago

From the inspector general's report, quoted above: “In some instances, we found no witnesses who acknowledged making or hearing the comments as reported,” the Pentagon report said. “In other instances, we confirmed that the general substance of an incident at issue occurred, but not in the exact context described in the article.”

Sounds like a poorly concealed confirmation of the Rolling Stone article. That is code for witnesses who said "Yeah, it happened but you can't use my name in your report", and it is how inspector general reports are written. McChrystal's staff circled the wagons after they stabbed him in the back.

JMO 2 years, 1 month ago

Patton died as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident which occurred on a pheasant hunting trip.

justaword 2 years, 1 month ago

McChrystal like Patton needed more range practice. They both were prone to figuratively shoot themselves in the foot. Patton is an interesting character, a great American. He hated our WWII allies-the Russians, more than the Germans. He was prone to slap the little people- the wounded under his command. This got him formally reprimanded by General Eisenhower, another great American who made a good and decent Republican President. Eisenhower, by the way, was accused of being a communist sympathizer by that day’s radical right ideologues. Like some threaders, they can find those commie-socialists everywhere!

Patton was no friend of the American citizen soldier. His command theory was more Prussian. Decorated combat WWII vets I knew in civilian life after the war plainly would state not knowing if their death would be from Patton or Hitler! They were probably a bunch of commie-socialists, too!

To say Patton “died for his exercise of free speech” is a confusing, gross overstatement. Your right JMO: Patton died of a pulmonary embolism, which was directly caused by a traffic accident- while on a day trip to hunt German pheasants. Well, they must have been Nazi pheasants. Or, maybe commie-socialist peasants...pheasants?

asb 2 years, 1 month ago

A Commander in Chief has the right to can whichever member of the military so wished. Washington, Lincoln, Truman, Eisenhower and Obama among the great ones, with others doing so I'm sure. They don't need a reason or even to be right. Personality worked for Lincoln and Truman, military mistakes and insubordination are enough for McCrystal. I liked him and think he'll do good work for our military families. But, his mouth and brain had a series of disconnects and that's that.

wcywing 2 years, 1 month ago

hard to prove that the General's aides had actually said those things. we will probably never know what really happened.

as for worst President, its a tie between W or O.

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