"the [untold] tillman story" appendix e1 -- may 2008 senate hearings (7/14/10)

8/9/2019 "The [Untold] Tillman Story" Appendix E1 -- May 2008 Senate Hearings (7/14/10)

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United States Senate ArmedServices Committee

Room SR-228, Russell Senate Office BuildingWashington, DC 20510-6050

Main Phone Number: 202-224-3871Fax Number: 202-228-0036

Welcome to the web site for the Senate Armed Services Committee. This web site is intended to servas a resource for those looking for information about the Committee and its activities.

Senator Carl LevinChairman

Senator John McCainRanking Member
http://armed-services.senate.gov/http://armed-services.senate.gov/http://levin.senate.gov/http://levin.senate.gov/http://mccain.senate.gov/http://mccain.senate.gov/http://mccain.senate.gov/http://levin.senate.gov/http://levin.senate.gov/http://levin.senate.gov/http://mccain.senate.gov/http://mccain.senate.gov/http://armed-services.senate.gov/http://armed-services.senate.gov/


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UNITED STATES SENATECOMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

_________________________________________________There will be a meeting of the Committee on

ARMED SERVICES

Thursday, May 15, 20082:30 PM

SR-222 Russell Senate Office BuildingEXECUTIVE*

To consider pending military nominations.

*Staff attendance will be restricted.

UNITED STATES SENATECOMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

_________________________________________________
http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=3364http://levin.senate.gov/http://mccain.senate.gov/http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=3364


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There will be a meeting of the Committee on

ARMED SERVICES

Thursday, May 22, 20089:30 AM

SD-106 Dirksen Senate Office BuildingOPEN

To consider the nominations of:

General David H. Petraeus, USA

for reappointment to the grade of general and to be Commander,United States Central Command

Lieutenant General Raymond T. Odierno, USA

for appointment to the grade of general and to beCommander, Multi-National Force-Iraq.

The nominees will be present.

[05/22/2008] Hearing Transcript [posted in compliance with Sec. 513 of P.L. 110-81]

HEARING TO CONSIDER THE NOMINATIONS OF: GENERAL DAVID H.PETRAEUS, USA, FOR REAPPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE OF GENERAL AND TOBE COMMANDER, UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND; AND LIEUTENANTGENERAL RAYMOND T. ODIERNO, USA, FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADEOF GENERAL AND TO BE COMMANDER, MULTINATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=3371http://armed-services.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?wit_id=7177&id=3371http://armed-services.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?wit_id=7178&id=3371http://armed-services.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?wit_id=7519&id=3371http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=3371http://armed-services.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?wit_id=7177&id=3371http://armed-services.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?wit_id=7178&id=3371http://armed-services.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?wit_id=7519&id=3371


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[05/22/2008] Hearing Transcript [posted in compliance with Sec. 513 of P.L. 110-81]

Thursday, May 22, 2008 U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:33 a.m. in Room SD106, Dirksen Senate OfficeBuilding, Hon. Carl Levin, chairman of the committee, presiding.

Committee Members Present: Senators Levin [presiding], Lieberman, Reed, Akaka, Bill Nelson,Ben Nelson, Clinton, Pryor, Webb, Warner, Inhofe, Sessions, Collins, Graham, Dole, Cornyn,Thune, Martinez, and Wicker.. . .

Majority staff members present: Jonathan D. Clark, Counsel, Michael J. Kuiken, ProfessionalStaff Member, Gerald J. Leeling, Counsel, Peter K. Levine, General Counsel, Michael J.McCord, Professional Staff Member, William G. P. Monahan, Counsel, Michael

J. Noblet, Professional Staff Member, and William K. Sutey, Professional Staff Member.

. . .

(p. 2) Chairman LEVIN: Good morning, everybody. The committee meets today to consider thenomination of General David Petraeus for reappointment to the grade of general and to beCommander, United States Central Command; and the nomination of Lieutenant GeneralRaymond Odierno for appointment to the grade of general and to be Commander, Multi-NationalForce-Iraq.

. . .

(p. 11) Chairman LEVIN: Excuse this slight delay here. Were trying to schedule a vote of thecommittee on nominations. And if we can get a quorum, we will interrupt our questions inorder to act on those nominations this morning.

Senator WARNER: Mr. Chairman, if I could just say, weve discussed those are thenominations of General McChrystal and Admiral McRaven to

Chairman LEVIN. Theres a number of other nominations. The theyre included with that this

. . .

(p. 20) Chairman LEVIN: If youllexcuse me for interrupting you, General. We have aquorum here, and weve got to take advantage of it, as I indicated. [Recessed.]. . .

(p.46) Chairman LEVIN: And we thank you. And we will now stand adjourned. We thank youboth. And thiswe hope that well bring your nominations to the floor as promptly as possible.[Whereupon, at 12:15 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
http://armed-services.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?wit_id=7519&id=3371http://armed-services.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?wit_id=7519&id=3371


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. . .

From Troop cuts p ossible in fall, Petraeus says

By William H. McMichael - Staff writer, Army Times

Posted : Thursday May 22, 2008 19:02:35 EDTTop of FormTroop cuts possi You have been s

http://ww w .navy

Bottom of Form

Army Gen. David Petraeus also told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the past week

registered the lowest levels of violence in Iraq in the past four years The occasion was an

unusual dual nomination hearing by the committee for Petraeus and Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno to take

two of the top combat leadership jobs in the Middle East Petraeus as the new U.S. Central

Command chief, and Odierno as Petraeus replacement as commander of Multi-National Force-

Iraq.

The hearing was briefly interrupted by protests by the anti-war group Code Pink. One member

shouted down Petraeus as he answered a Levin question about Iran. As that protester was

escorted out, another began shouting, then another, in what appeared to be an orchestrated

fashion. Levin calmly had the protesters removed.

Levin also paused the hearing momentarily for avoice vote approving 144 pending military

nominations, including those of Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal as director of operations for

the Joint Staff, and of Rear Adm. William McRaven to take McChrystals place at the headof the Joint Special Operations Command.

McChrystals nomination was clouded somewhat by his role in the investigation into the

April 2004 death of former NFL star and Army Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan.

A Pentagon investigation recommended that he and eight other Army officers be held

accountable for errors in the way their superiors were informed about the cause of Tillmans

death initially labeled as enemy fire but subsequently determined to have come from U.S.

forces. The Army cleared McChrystal of any wrongdoing.

If all had gone according to plan, the hearing would never have taken place. But on March 11,

just 12 months into the job, Adm. William Fallon abruptly announced his resignation as

CentCom chief after publication of a magazine article implying that Fallon disagreed with

administration policy in the Middle East, particularly regarding Iran.

THE DIANE RHEM SHOW Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 10:06 a.m.

10 a.m. (ET) Senator Jim Webb: "A Time to Fight" (Broadway)
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/military_petraeus_odierno_052208w/http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2008-05-27/senator-jim-webb-time-fight-broadwayhttp://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/military_petraeus_odierno_052208w/http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2008-05-27/senator-jim-webb-time-fight-broadway


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http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2008-05-27/senator-jim-webb-time-fight-broadway

Listen

Guest:

Senator Jim Webb is a Democratic Senator from Virginia. He is former Assistant Secretary ofDefense for Reserve Affairs and Navy Secretary in the Reagan administration and author of nine

books, including, "A Time to Fight." Jim Webb, a combat Vietnam veteran and former Navy

Secretary in the Reagan Administration, discusses what brought him back to the Democratic

Party and the direction he thinks the party and politics should take.. . .

I spoke briefly with Senator Webb on NPR radio during the Diane Rhem Show [40:56] I asked

the Senator to meet with Mary Tillman. During his response, Webb spoke of a recent Senate

review of the Tillman fratricide:

I think what happened in the aftermath of Pat Tillmans death was really tragic.

I just went through a fairly thorough review of that process at the request of the

Chairman of the [Senate] Armed Services Committee [Senator Levin] and the bottom ...

I talked to his father years ago when my book Born-Fighting came out.

What we do know, this is what I think is so disturbing, is that the Army knew that this

was a friendly fire incident fairly quickly, they did not tell the family, they allowed a

ceremony to go forward which implied otherwise, and his own brother, which had served

with him, it was kept from him until the ceremony took place.

Im not sure where responsibility for that decision really lies, in terms of the chain of

command, how it was handled publicly, but it was really wrong.

Someone like me has to have a tremendous amount of respect for what Pat Tillman did in

terms of stepping forward among other things. You cannot help but still feel angry about

how his death was used.

. . .

The following year, I learned Webbs review was for a secret (executive session)

confirmation hearing held on May 15th 2008 for the promotion of Gen.McChrystal to the

Director of the Joint Staff. The following year, during McChrystals June 2nd 2009 hearing, this

executive session was mentioned by both Senator Levin and Gen. McChrystal at the beginning

of their remarks. Senator Levins Counsel Gerald Leeling stonewalled me when I spoke to him

about this hearing.

12-26-10 UPDATE: The SASC website did not list McChrystal as meeting with them on 5-15-

08. However, a Lexus-Nexus search showed that Sec. Gates mentioned McChrystals meeting
http://thedianerehmshow.org/audio-player?nid=2411http://thedianerehmshow.org/audio-player?nid=2411


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with the SASC in a DoD press release on 5-15-08 (see below). So, the executive session

meeting may not have been strictly secret. But, it was not mentioned in the media at all.

DoD Press Release on McChrystals 2008 Senate Confirmation

From DEFENSE SECRETARY GATES, SENATE COMMITTEE DISCUSS

NOMINATIONS, DEFENSE ISSUES

Washington, May 15, 2008 Thursday 2:53 AM EST

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today urged the Senate Armed Services Committee to act

quickly on several key military nominations, including Army Gen. David H. Petraeus'

appointment as chief of U.S. Central Command, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said

today.

The committee will hold confirmation hearings May 22 for Petraeus, as well as for Army Lt.

Gen. Raymond Odierno, who has been nominated for his fourth star and to take over Petraeus'

command at Multinational Force Iraq, Morrell said.

The committee was slated to meet today with Army Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal , nominated to

direct the Joint Staff, and Navy Rear Adm. William McRaven, who has been named to succeed

McChrystal at Joint Special Operations Command.

"The secretary believes the quick confirmation of all four men is necessary to maintain

continuity and focus in the global war on terror," Morrell said.

DoD News Briefing with Geoff Morrell from the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

May 15, 2008 12:00 PM EDT

MR. MORRELL: Good afternoon. Thanks for coming today. I'll get to your questions shortly,

but first I'd like to take a moment to brief you on Secretary Gates' trip to Capitol Hill this

morning.

He had breakfast with leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee, including Chairman

Levin. The secretary thanked him for taking action on several key military nominations.

Note: leaders would include Senator McCain, perhaps Webb. Taking action I assume

would also include McChrystals confirmation.
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49893http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49893http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4231http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49893http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49893http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4231


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The committee has agreed to hold a confirmation hearing for General Petraeus next

Thursday. He, as you know, was nominated to become commander of Central Command.

Next Thursday they will also hold a hearing, simultaneously I believe, for Lieutenant General

Ray Odierno, who has been chosen to succeed Petraeus as commander of Multinational Forces-

Iraq.

And this afternoon the committee meets with Lieutenant General McChrystal, nominated to

become director of the Joint Staff, and Rear Admiral McRaven, McChrystal's would-be

successor as commander of Joint Special Operations Command.

The secretary believes the quick confirmation of all four men is necessary to maintain continuity

and focus in the global war on terror.

. . .

With that quick update, I'll take your questions.

. . .

Note: This is the only mention of McChrystals appearance before the SASC on 5-15-08. The

SASCs announcement merely states that an executive session was held, but did not state who

was present. LexusNexis showed nothing in the media about the SASC questioning McChrystal

about the Tillman case.

"the [untold] tillman story" appendix e1 -- may 2008 senate hearings (7/14/10)

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