POTUS and FLOTUS visit al Assad airbase in Iraq. The otherwise positive event, has the MSM up in arms. Newsweek is aghast that Trump tweeted a very professionally edited video after leaving the base, that maybe put what might be Special Forces at risk.
Donald Trump and the White House communications team revealed that a U.S. Navy SEAL team was deployed to Iraq….
JAMES LAPORTA ON 12/26/18 AT 6:13 PM
Say WHAT?! We have Special Forces and SEAL teams in Iraq? The same Iraq that is next to Syria? The Syria where we are pulling out after helping the Kurds hunt and terminate ISIS? I’m shocked!! I can’t believe that we have highly trained experts operating in an area that is littered with pockets of wanna be terrorists.
We have SEALS in IRAQ? OHMIGOSH! Who knew?
~ Said no one. Ever. Only an idiot would think we aren’t using the base & proximity to our advantage (Newsweek take note. Nobody is surprised).
Trump’s tweet, can be found in an excellent post written by Nina Bookout. When you read it, I dare you to find where exactly POTUS implies, or states that any of the people are SEALs or SF. I’ve watched it a couple times, and it’s a production worthy post. One that highlights the love these service members have for their CIC. Nobody is shirking the cameras, and there were plenty of cameras. Getty, API, all the professionals were there snapping away during the event.
The only photo that lists anyone specifically by name is in Newsweek, where they name the “SEAL team chaplain” (I use quotes, because it’s unconfirmed). The shared picture of Trump is being taken with a personal cell phone. Looks to me like the “Navy SEAL” wanted a picture with POTUS. I bet if you #TRUMP you will see many “glorious pictures” of service members with Trump.
Why, with a room full of reporters and cameras is Trump the only one getting flack? The author of the “Breaking” news was a Marine. His bio states he served in actual war zones, so should know the difference between OPSEC, PERSEC, and BS. I call BS. Unfortunately Mr. LaPorta has paused his twitter account. So he can’t respond to what is certain to be a day full of uncomfortable questions.
This Twitter account will remain inactive until later today December 27, 2018. Until then…… pic.twitter.com/D2RcYWs9Cy
— James LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) December 27, 2018
The video is a group of guys parading out in some NVG’s and a bit of gear. It does not make them SEALs. Maybe at a COMIC CON, or on a liberal talk show it’s enough. But in reality, that’s not how it works. They can be on routine patrol. They may be working personal security detail for POTUS.
The ONLY one who is stating their affiliation is the guy who was a Marine. The guy who should know better than to call attention to anything that may further jeopardize the mission and those who are tasked with its success. Special Operators or not, they all have a job.
By starting this unsubstantiated narrative, James LaPorta is enhancing the potential danger to the guys in the video. The every ISIS wannabe living in a dirt hole is going to be gunning for these guys. All because someone wanted a story, more than he want to remember that “Semper Fi” doesn’t mean “always faithful to oneself.”
The next news cycle will be filled with people bringing up Creepy Uncle Joe Biden
“publicly revealed the identity of the special-operations unit responsible for bin Laden’s killing. His reckless action put at risk the lives of every member of SEAL Team 6. The Taliban and other jihadists eager to avenge bin Laden now knew which unit to target. Stunned and shocked, SEAL members immediately realized they were going to be hunted by al Qaeda sympathizers.”
– The Washington Times – Friday, June 7, 2013
There will also be reminders that presidents and their minions perpetually oust covert operators. Scooter Libby went to jail for the fallout from the Valerie Plame incident.
Here’s the big difference people. Biden and Libby actually did oust covert operators. They literally said “this person is a special operator….” Trump posted a video that was given to him by staffers. The pictures on it show that there were A LOT of photo journalist’s present. Press who took the pictures during the dog and pony show of supposed SEALs in their gear.
Many of the photographs are service members at al-Asad air base. Some of them may be covert operators. Most are not. The AP/Getty/API are not held to the standard they hold POTUS. His twitter shows exactly the same thing as the photo journalists. Less to be honest. Nowhere does he state that there are special operators on the base. Nor does he imply they are SEALs. This was done by the Free Press, and a journalist looking to expand his portfolio.
Trump is guilty of many terrible tweets. But this one is neither terrible nor in violation of OPSEC/PERSEC. The entire issue is a non-issue, and the author may find himself wishing for some covert abilities once the reality of his outrageous claim sets in.
Featured Image Credit: Gerd Altamann License Under CCO 1.0 (CCo 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
GWB says: They may be working personal security detail for POTUS.
Those guys often ARE SF of one sort or another. It’s sorta expected.
Biden and Libby actually did oust covert operators.
Sorry, NO. Libby did NOT out Plame, and no one outed a “covert operator” when they did out her. She was a desk jockey. She had a “cover job” when she was overseas, but she was not what the law classifies as a “covert operator”. Libby was railroaded on TWO untruths – that he outed her and that she could even be “outed”.
But, yeah, there’s no real OPSEC issue with Trump’s tweets in this case. (And that pic you post, with the different bits of text? Totally incoherent.) Not even sure Newsweak crosses the line in this case.
The media is making themselves look more silly every dang day.
Morning bud!
Scooter Libby will bear the unfortunate brunt of being the guy who ousted Valerie Plame. Did he do it? Probably more inept than intent. But he’s guilty in the public mindset, and that’s how it’s going to go down in history. Not the first guy railroaded, and not the last. WE can debate how much he actually did, but truthfully nothing within the CIA is transparent enough to get solid answers.
The text you mention is sarcasm.
“We have SEALS in IRAQ? OHMIGOSH! Who knew?”
~ Said no one. Ever. Only an idiot would think we aren’t using the base & proximity to our advantage (Newsweek..?).
I wrote that because someone who was a Marine is implying that it’s unusual to have SEALs, SF, CIA, FBI, and everything short of NTSB running around the base…. Come on. It’s painfully obvious that will happen.
Odds are good that some of the hundreds of people appearing in the media shots are more than the average Grunt…. Is every person geared up in that video SF? Truthfully, by appearance no. Not a single beard, and more than a few belly paunches are indications to me that their most covert operation is seconds at the ice cream machine. I know guys in MARSOC, and the SEAL communities. They are mostly unassuming in appearance. But they are routinely very fit, and have a bearing about them that is inherently unique. After being married to a Marine Officer for 24 years, it’s just something that becomes noticeable. Like being in a room full of Marines in civilian attire, but still being able to pin the rank structure and sometimes MOS.
Did Newsweek violate OPSEC, nah. Because there was no OPSEC to violate. Did the writer (and therefore his employer) imply that these guys are SF and therefore have been ousted because they are kitted out and standing behind the POTUS? Absolutely. And that to me is the rub. These guys may be on PPD for the POTUS. But they have a unit CO. They have a GO. They have a command structure in place that will weigh the prudence of putting them out in a public venue. Their Chain of Command has the CIC at the top, but smart CO’s know how to get around a request that endangers their people. Be it a slow roll, or a pair of sunglasses, there are ways to protect the people who need to maintain their anonymity. In this case, it wasn’t the case. It was an orchestrated dog & pony show. Was it for the benefit of letting the ISIS crew know that our SF is just a Helo hop away? Maybe. But OPSEC is determined by the people who are on the ground. Those people have decided that putting a group on display in the chow hall didn’t violate anything. But a single individual made that determination based upon nothing solid. It reminds me of the spouses who patrol social media during deployments screaming “OPSEC violation!!!” whenever something inconsequential is discussed.
Victor Erimita says: Richard Armitage outed Valerie Plame, not Libby. Libby went to jail for “lying” about when he first heard about it, a bullshit process “crime.” It’s bad enough he was railroaded by a politically motivated prosecutor without you perpetuating the lie that he was the one who outed Plame. Or that she was covert at the time she was mentioned. Leave this bullshit for the Regressives, fer chrissake.
Tom G says: Richard Armitage did the outing — and the prosecutor knew it was him at the time of setting up a “perjury trap” for Scooter Libby, a close aide to VP Dick Cheney.
Armitage was never prosecuted, probably because Plame was not under cover and thus “outing” her wasn’t a crime.
Trump, not Bush 43, had the guts to pardon him.
Neither Armitage nor his Sec. of State Collin Powell, who also knew it was Armitage, was willing to become public with the “who outed” Plame before the prosecution.
A bs perjury trap by the Deep State suffering, at the time, from Bush Derangement Syndrome.
Which should be more accurately named Democrat Derangement Syndrome, because of the deranged actions by Dems against Reps when they suffer from it.
Was evident in Kavanaugh Derangement actions during his confirmation hearings, and will be seen increasingly until … more people identify it as Dem problem, and make fun of Dems doing it.
mac says: See, there is a big difference here. Trump et al LIKE the U.S. Military and do their level best to strengthen and protect it. AP/Getty/UPI LOATHE AND DESPISE the U.S. Military. Consequently, those three entities have no qualms whatsoever about BREAKING OPSEC AT ANY TIME ABOUT ANYTHING that will help America or keep it safer.
I have nothing but contempt and obloquy for the sinister side of the American body politic, and that includes almost all of the MSM. They are, as Glenn Reynolds calls them, “Democratic operatives with bylines.” . Trump, on the other hand, is the best President since Ronald Reagan and is fast approaching his legendary stature. It certainly doesn’t hurt that his wife is the most elegant First Lady of my lifetime. She even puts Jackie in the shade, and that takes some doing.
iowan2 says: There was no crime of outing Valerie Plame. NO CRIME. All was investigated. All the players identified, no charges, or indictments for outibg a covert operative. NO CRIME. Libby contradicted his own statements. our Government put him in jail for it. Because he is a Republican. That was the crime.
To repeat the lie, then try to justify the repeating it, is not cool
JDH says: Libby will go down in history for outing Plame because the lie continues to be repeated over and over again.
Tom G has it correct, Richard Armitage leaked the info and Libby was framed up in an attempt to get Chaney.
I’m not sure what’s worse, repeating this long debunked lie or then turning around and defending it with a statement like it will be remembered that way so it’s true. Did he do it? No.. it was unequivocally not Libby. The fact that you don’t know this could mean you are too young to understand, but since he was pardoned by Trump and all of this came back into the news I’m afraid you just didn’t look.
OldParatrooper says: Did Biden out Seal Team Six for killing Osama? There are only two US units that could have raided Osama’s house in Abottabad, Seal Team Six (DevGru) or Delta (CAG). Both were already al Qaeda targets, Biden simply gave the Seals credit were credit was due.
Tom says: You are wrong about Libby. Review the actual history of his perjury conviction – he simply disagreed with Tim Russert’s recollection of a brief phone conversation. Plame was not an covert operator and Libby did not out her.
Libby’s was a purely political prosecution in an attempt to “get” Cheney. BTW – Fitzpatrick, who falsely prosecuted Libby, is a close friend and fellow political operative to Mueller (as well as Comey and Rosenstein).
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