Pentagon and Congress at odds over Fort Hood probe

Pentagon and Congress at odds over Fort Hood probe

rawstory.com

The Pentagon said on Tuesday it will provide some but not all the documents demanded by a congressional panel investigating last year's Fort Hood shooting rampage.

Facing a subpoena from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Defense and Justice departments promised to provide the panel with the personnel file of the suspected gunman, Major Nidal Hasan, as well as other documents, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.

But the Pentagon was still unwilling to grant the lawmakers access to possible witnesses as well as investigative reports in

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Why is the pentaggon allowed to withhold anything from congress? They are obviously hiding something in those reports. Maybe, Hassan had no links to any extremists and they made that whole thing up when it first happened because it suited their agenda. Who knows? Good for Joe Liberman on this one for pressuring them to give up the documents. At first they did not want to even release his personal file. Maybe they needed time to make him up a new one?

rawstory.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I think that the only thing they are hiding is the fact that this ass-hat should have been booted out of the Army years ago. His OICs turned a blind eye to his attitude because they were being PC and didn't want to ruffle the feathers of a Muslim.

They are probably covering for some senior officers.

reply to post by jerico65


That is definately plausable. Whatever the case may be, the military is hiding something from congress. I did not know they could do that. What if the president asked?

The military answers to the President, not Congress. For Congress to get the answers they seek, the President would need a subpoena from Congress and could claim executive priveledge. The Supreme Court would have to order the President to comply with the request.
Funny how separation of powers works, eh?

reply to post by abecedarian


I guess so. Why does congress not ask the president to do this then? Why does the military seem like a fourth branch of government when they are not?

reply to post by devildogUSMC


My guess is that a few things going on here.

1. They have documentation which shows how poorly/incompetent the army dealt with this problem and the PC nonsense that was a part of it.

2. This gent "counseled" soldiers who went on to commit suicide. Combine #1 and #2 and you potentially massive lawsuit. If I'm right, and they allowed an anti-American who was open to criticising the war counsel soldiers, the folks involved should be held criminally liable - and that matter should be stripped out of the Military Code of Justice and its lack of transparency and be tried in civilian court

3. They have more information about a significant integration of radical muslims in the US military with connections to extremist groups. They would shield that due to the requirement to root the folks out. Again, PC nonsense.

There is something off with this and at the bottom if it, its not good

Separation of powers is not absolute.

Under Checks and Balances, Congress May start investigations, especially against the executive branch, but it can include the Military. While the Executive Declares War, Congress makes the rules for the military and I don't believe that this is outside of their jurisdiction.