Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 20 November 2018

Trump sets off storm by criticizing retired Navy admiral

By ROBERT BURNS “I admire all presidents, re-
AP National Security Writer gardless of their political
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- party, who uphold the dig-
dent Donald Trump has nity of the office and who
ignited a firestorm of criti- use that office to bring the
cism and charges that he nation together in chal-
is politicizing the military by lenging times,” he said
faulting a war hero for not pointedly.
capturing al-Qaida leader McRaven previously had
Osama bin Laden sooner. drawn widespread atten-
Trump took shots at retired tion for lambasting Trump
Adm. William McRaven in a for repeatedly calling the
Fox News interview Sunday news media the “enemy of
in which he also asserted the people.”
that the former Navy SEAL McRaven had said the
and former commander president’s words were
of U.S. Special Operations “the greatest threat to de-
Command was a “backer” mocracy” in his lifetime.
of Trump’s 2016 rival, Hillary When this was raised in the
Clinton, and supporter of Fox News interview, Trump
President Barack Obama. lashed out at McRaven,
“Disgusting,” the George who organized and ex-
W. Bush administration’s ecuted the bin Laden raid
White House counterterror- in Pakistan in May 2011 as
ism adviser, Fran Townsend, head of the secretive Joint
wrote Monday on Twitter. Special Operation Com-
Leon Panetta, who was mand.
CIA director during the bin “Wouldn’t it have been
Laden raid and later served nice if we got Osama bin
as secretary of defense, Laden a lot sooner than
said Trump owed an apol- that, wouldn’t it have been
ogy to McRaven and to all In this Aug. 21, 2014, file photo, Navy Adm. William McRaven addresses the Texas Board of nice?” Trump said.
of those in the military and Regents in Austin, Texas. Asked whether military
intelligence agencies who Associated Press leaders were not due cred-
played a role in tracking down bin Laden and car- ment. Trump also drew criticism it for having killed the al-
rying out the risky raid into The controversy follows a for his decision not to visit Qaida leader, Trump said,
Pakistan. He called Trump’s pattern of concerns raised Arlington National Cem- “They took him down but -
remark “patently ridicu- by former senior military of- etery on Veterans Day last look, look, there’s news right
lous.” ficers about Trump’s grasp week, following his trip to there, he lived in Pakistan,
“It demonstrates a pro- of the military’s role, includ- Europe. He said later he we’re supporting Pakistan,
found lack of understand- ing those who assert that his “should have” visited the we’re giving them $1.3 bil-
ing of how our military and decision to send thousands cemetery but was too busy lion a year, which we don’t
intelligence agencies op- of active-duty troops to the with official business. give them anymore, by the
erate and undermines the U.S.-Mexico border shortly McRaven told CNN he is way, I ended it because
president’s own standing before the Nov. 6 midterm a fan both of George W. they don’t do anything for
as commander-in-chief,” elections was a political Bush and Barack Obama, us, they don’t do a damn
Panetta said in a state- stunt. having served under them. thing for us.”q