Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of U.S. troops in Iraq who was overseeing the Abu Ghraib prison investigation, asked to be replaced after the lead investigator, Maj. Gen. George Fay, said he could not interview a higher ranking officer such as Gen. Sanchez without violating military rules, said Bryan Whitman, the Pentagon spokesman.
Gen. Sanchez, commander of all ground forces in Iraq, then agreed to recuse himself from the investigation. He asked Gen. John Abizaid, commander of all U.S. forces in the Middle East and South Asia, to see that another senior investigating officer is named as a replacement, Mr. Whitman said.
Gen. Abizaid asked Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld several days ago to appoint a new officer to review Gen. Fay's investigative work and Mr. Rumsfeld is working on naming a three- or four-star general, Mr. Whitman said.
The new investigating officer would replace two-star Gen. Fay with a three- or four-star officer.
The move allows Gen. Sanchez, a three-star general, to be questioned by the new higher-ranking general as part of the investigation.
Washington Times article
Gen. Sanchez, commander of all ground forces in Iraq, then agreed to recuse himself from the investigation. He asked Gen. John Abizaid, commander of all U.S. forces in the Middle East and South Asia, to see that another senior investigating officer is named as a replacement, Mr. Whitman said.
Gen. Abizaid asked Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld several days ago to appoint a new officer to review Gen. Fay's investigative work and Mr. Rumsfeld is working on naming a three- or four-star general, Mr. Whitman said.
The new investigating officer would replace two-star Gen. Fay with a three- or four-star officer.
The move allows Gen. Sanchez, a three-star general, to be questioned by the new higher-ranking general as part of the investigation.
Now, I admit that I am very confused as to what's going on here in the shuffle. Another report says that General Fay is going to be replaced because of the problem of rank.
The commander of American forces in the Middle East asked Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld this week to replace the general investigating suspected abuses by military intelligence soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison with a more senior officer, a step that would allow the inquiry to reach into the military's highest ranks in Iraq, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.
...But Army regulations prevent General Fay, a two-star general, from interviewing higher-ranking officers. So General Sanchez took the unusual step of asking to be removed as the reviewing authority for General Fay's report, and requesting that higher-ranking officers be appointed to conduct and review the investigation.
"General Sanchez did this to ensure that there was a complete, thorough and transparent investigation that leaves no doubt as to the veracity of its findings," said Bryan Whitman, a senior Pentagon spokesman.
Mr. Rumsfeld was expected to act on General Abizaid's request soon, Mr. Whitman said. It was unclear Wednesday night who would replace General Fay, who would almost certainly remain an important part of the inquiry that he has headed since his appointment on April 15. One possible candidate is Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the vice chief of staff of the Army, who is expected to replace General Sanchez in Iraq soon after the transfer of authority on June 30 to the new interim Iraqi government.
Occupation Watch article
...But Army regulations prevent General Fay, a two-star general, from interviewing higher-ranking officers. So General Sanchez took the unusual step of asking to be removed as the reviewing authority for General Fay's report, and requesting that higher-ranking officers be appointed to conduct and review the investigation.
"General Sanchez did this to ensure that there was a complete, thorough and transparent investigation that leaves no doubt as to the veracity of its findings," said Bryan Whitman, a senior Pentagon spokesman.
Mr. Rumsfeld was expected to act on General Abizaid's request soon, Mr. Whitman said. It was unclear Wednesday night who would replace General Fay, who would almost certainly remain an important part of the inquiry that he has headed since his appointment on April 15. One possible candidate is Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the vice chief of staff of the Army, who is expected to replace General Sanchez in Iraq soon after the transfer of authority on June 30 to the new interim Iraqi government.
Sanchez has been in a bind, and made the choice to lie at the Senate hearings, so I suspect the jockeying doesn't mean that the truth might come out. But you never know when somebody at the top might just get a conscience.
Okay, okay. Let me have my fantasy.
General Sanchez will be replaced in his position of commander of the troops in Iraq, ostensibly simply because it was time to rotate, with Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the Army's second-ranking general. I'd suggest it might be a relieving of Sanchez from his command without admitting he needed to be relieved.
And, finally, on this issue, the Occupation Watch article reports that Fay asked for an extension of time on his report because somebody decided to talk.
Within the last several days, an important figure in the inquiry who had previously refused to cooperate with Army investigators suddenly reversed his position and agreed to work much more closely with investigators, a senior Senate aide and a senior Pentagon official said.
That important development prompted General Fay to send some of his 29-person team back into the field to conduct more interviews, the officials said. "A key witness, a key person who'd pled the military equivalent of the Fifth has changed his attitude, and Fay is reopening the investigation," the Senate official said.
The officials said they did not know the identity of the witness.
That important development prompted General Fay to send some of his 29-person team back into the field to conduct more interviews, the officials said. "A key witness, a key person who'd pled the military equivalent of the Fifth has changed his attitude, and Fay is reopening the investigation," the Senate official said.
The officials said they did not know the identity of the witness.
A change of conscience? A realization that there was more trouble coming? A plea bargain? Maybe we'll find out later.
Maybe.
