US government hushes up retired generals making bank from countries with horrific human rights records
The Washington Post submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and subsequent lawsuit regarding hefty contracts disclosed to the Pentagon from retired generals and admirals who have left government service.
According to the report, the details expose those who use their military service over the decades to score lucrative contracts from foreign countries.
The probe began last year when an investigation revealed more than 500 retired U.S. military personnel were working for foreign countries that are "known for human rights abuses and political repression."
Federal law requires any retired military member to disclose the offer and gain approval before they can agree to the compensation. The goal is to keep tabs on anyone who might be compromised. But all of the information was held back until the Post sued over it. The two-year legal battle included requests for records from the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, the Marine Corps and the State Department over decades, spanning three presidential administrations.
The Post specifically highlighted retired Army Gen. Keith Alexander, who applied for approval of a Saudi contract after the slaying of Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It doesn't conclude that there is any specific connection, only the dates show the $700,000 contract began after the slaying.
But Alexander is one of 22 U.S. generals and admirals who got contracts over the last ten years working for Saudi Arabia. There's no accounting for partisanship, the contracts came from those who served during administrations held by both parties.
The Post also revealed that they handed over the data to Sens. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The two lawmakers then asked the Pentagon and State Department for greater transparency. The Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing is set to hold a hearing on the matter Wednesday.
One detail revealed in the FOIA'd documents is that Gen. Jim Mattis served as a military adviser to the United Arab Emirates before he went to work for Donald Trump as the Secretary of Defense. Once he left the post, he applied for approval for a speech in UAE capital Abu Dhabi.
Mattis' spokesperson released a previous statement claiming he didn't accept any payment from the UAE for the speech, only travel expenses, due to “his belief in the importance of ethical conduct."
But the FOIA documents revealed Mattis indicated he would be paid a "standard honorarium" of $100,000 plus reimbursement for travel expenses. Mattis now works at the Cohen Group, and the CEO, Robert Tyrer, repeated Mattis' claim that the figure was only because he wanted the "most detailed and rigorous review" of the compensation.
Retired Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster scored $500,000 from the Hudson Institute where he became the new chair of the Japan Program. It was paid for by the Japanese Foreign Ministry. They wouldn't respond to questions.
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