During his eight years in office, President Barack Obama weaponized agencies like the Justice and Treasury Departments, the FBI and CIA, EPA, and the IRS for political purposes.
Now, he’s using the Defense Department and former civilian and military officials to discredit and attack President Trump through a recently-published op-ed in The Washington Post.
In that political hit piece, 89 former Defense Department officials publicly criticize President Trump for wanting to send the military to cities torn apart by rioting and looting in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
The piece is laughable and lacks credibility. Here is what is meant by that assessment:
The op-ed is signed by Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel and Ash Carter — three men appointed by Obama to serve as Secretary of Defense during his two terms in office.
The piece is also signed by William Cohen who served as Defense Secretary under President Clinton.
And the names from Team Obama continue.
Jeremy Bash who served as chief of staff to Secretary of Defense Panetta and Secretary of Defense Hagel.
Sasha Baker who served as deputy chief of staff to Secretary of Defense Carter and later as national security advisor to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
John Gans, Jr. who served as chief speechwriter to Secretary of Defense Carter.
George Little who served as press secretary to Secretary of Defense Panetta and Secretary of Defense Hagel.
Even James Clapper adds his name. Clapper served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USDI) before Obama nominated him to serve as his Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
Clapper’s good friend and fellow intelligence operative Mike Vickers is on there too. Vickers was nominated by Obama in 2011 to replace Clapper as USDI.
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO Policy Ian Brzezinski is listed in the piece as well. Brzezinski’s sister Mika hosts Morning Joe with her husband Joe Scarborough on MSNBC — a show now dedicated to attacking President Trump.
In the op-ed, the former Defense officials and civilian leaders make the point that protester’s rights and freedoms should be protected and that the military should not be used for "domestic unrest," but rather to fight our nation’s enemies abroad.
But they neglect to mention that another Republican President — former President George H.W. Bush invoked the Insurrection Act and deployed the military during the 1992 Los Angeles riots to "restore order" in a city torn apart from six days of protests that caused more than $1 billion in damages — leaving 50 people dead and over 2,000 injured.
I doubt then-Calif. Gov. Pete Wilson was worried about protestor’s rights and freedoms as he pleaded for help, asking President Bush to intervene with federal troops and bring to an end the rioting engulfing his city.
The piece reads more like an Obama Administration Alumni Newsletter than a credible op-ed.
Shame on The Washington Post for publishing such a deceptive column.
Sure, as the title suggests, "the military should must never be used to violate constitutional rights," but what do you do when rioters are destroying cities, local businesses and endangering the lives of innocent Americans?
You do what President’s Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and George H.W. Bush did — you invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807; you deploy the military to secure cities devastated by rioters and looters.
And if President Trump chooses to do the same — then he’s in good company.
Mark Vargas is a trusted adviser and close confidant to some of the highest profile political and business leaders in America. From 2007 to 2010, Mr. Vargas served as a civilian within the Office of the Secretary of Defense on a special Iraq task force. In 2009 he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Global War on Terrorism Civilian Service Medal. His civilian service included 14 trips to Baghdad. Follow Mark on Twitter: @markavargas. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.