Trump focuses on those responsible for Afghan withdrawal debacle
The team is investigating whether to convene a commission to examine the withdrawal effort, including whether any actions on the part of these officials rose to the level of treason or other criminal charges, NBC News reported.
Two sources told the news outlet that the team could potentially recall members of leadership to active duty and possibly charge them with various offenses.
“It’s not clear the Trump administration would pursue treason charges, and instead could focus on lesser charges that highlight the officers’ involvement. ‘They want to set an example,’ said the person with knowledge of the plan.”
The commission would look into how the United States first invaded Afghanistan and how it eventually withdrew its military forces from the region. The sources told NBC News that Matt Flynn, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, would be heading up the investigation, a detail that Flynn denied through his attorney Mark S. Zaid.
Flynn’s lawyer said his client “has nothing to do with the Trump transition team” and that “ no one has sought out Mr. Flynn’s views on this hypothetical legal scenario.”
President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the botched withdrawal on numerous occasions and vowed to fire those involved after taking office.
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Military planners usually strategize an orderly withdrawal when engaged in a retrograde operation. The Afghan withdrawal was anything but orderly. It was a retreat that left billions of dollars worth of equipment behind for the enemy. It made the US look weak and disorganized.
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