Pentagon’s weak testimony on Muslim chaplain problem riles senators
“We hope never to be caught in this position again.”
That’s what the administration’s fall guy on the Pentagon chaplain scandal, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Charles Abell, told senators at an October 14 terrorism hearing.
But Abell said the Department of Defense has no intention of breaking ties with Saudi-funded Wahhabi groups that currently vet military chaplains.
Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, summoned Abell and others to find out how the military and the Federal Bureau of Prisons could have Saudi-funded chaplain programs that allowed supporters of terrorism to infiltrate the military and prison systems through two Saudi-funded organizations.
Scripps Howard News Service reported, “Abell said he had no idea where the funding for the two groups comes from and was not seeking to find out. That triggered exasperation from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. ‘I’m asking you to do more than just be passive. I’m asking you to find out,’ she said.”
The Clinton Administration formed the Muslim military chaplain corps in 1993, leaving the vetting essentially in the hands of Abdurahman Alamoudi, a suspected terrorist figure arrested two weeks ago.
FBI counterterrorism chief John Pistole said, “The FBI considers these matters to be potentially serious breaches of national security and will continue to work jointly with the Department of Defense in order to successfully resolve these matters and limit the damage they have caused.”
Senators on both sides of the aisle, intent on getting straight answers, agreed to have DoD Inspector General Joseph Schmitz appear before them.
- LIVE NOW – Weaponization of US Government Symposium - April 9, 2024
- CSP author of “Big Intel” is American Thought Leaders guest on Epoch TV - February 23, 2024
- Four weeks after release, Big Intel remains a #1 Amazon bestseller - February 13, 2024