Security BREACH: Obama Included Bergdahls In Secure Conferences
By Maggie Park October 15th, 2014
gnd.com
According to the Washington Times, as many as 20 secure video conferences involving the potential release of Bowe Bergdahl were attended by his parents. Robert and Jani Bergdahl attended the conferences despite having no security clearances at all. The video conferences were among the Bergdahls, White House staff, intelligence officials, State Department officials, and even commanders on the ground in Afghanistan.
One former State Department official was quoted in the Washington Times. He plainly stated that including civilians in such conferences was wrong. "To put them in the middle of what is essentially a classified secure video conference is ridiculous," he said.
From a security perspective Bob Bergdahl's sympathy for Guantanamo Bay prisoners complicates an already confusing situation. After all, these men are terrorists who are wanted by the United Nations for massacring thousands of fellow Muslims before fighting the United States. In a tweet that was later deleted, Bob Bergdahl said, "@ABalkhi I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen!"
No one has explained why these two civilians with questionable alliances were permitted to participate in such high-level conferences.
Before Bowe Bergdahl's capture, the family led a quiet life in Idaho, where they homeschooled their children and were devout members of the local Presbyterian church. The home is still filled with books, but both of the couple's kids were raised in a home without television.
According to the UK's Guardian.com, Bob Bergdahl changed three things about his life when his son was taken captive. He began studying foreign policy online, he bought a television to watch news, and he stopped shaving. In addition to foreign policy, Bob Bergdahl immersed himself in negotiation techniques and the Afghan culture, including the languages Pashtu and Arabic. His growing beard was meant to give him an air of authority like that of an Afghan village elder.
There is no word on whether Bob Bergdahl was allowed to use his newly acquired knowledge to affect negotiations. However, it is fairly clear that White House aides did not know that the senior Bergdahl would use his moments of fame to speak controversial statements in both Pashtu and Arabic.
The press conference where Bergdahl upset many Americans with what appeared to be enemy rhetoric sparked rumors. Many said that Bergdahl had converted to Islam. However, according to others in the close-knit Idaho community, the Bergdahls remain regular devotees at their local church.
In another questionable interview, conducted after the White House appearance, Bob Bergdahl spoke directly to Bowe, saying, "I'm proud of how much you wanted to help the Afghan people. And what you were willing to do to go to that length."
Even if these sentiments and Bowe Bergdahl's desertion in theater are merely the naive actions and beliefs of an isolated and open-minded family, the question still remains about including civilians without security clearances in highly classified conferences. No one has even begun to explain this inclusion to the American people.
Since the security of our troops depends upon treating classified information with respect, inviting the couple to such conferences seems more than compassionate simplemindedness. It seems like a dangerous precedent.
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