Rumsfeld Testifies in Tillman Investigation

Donald Rumsfeld and his GOP allies chuckled their way through yesterday's hearing on the death (friendly fire, murder, whatever) of the most famous soldier serving in the 9/11 wars, Pat Tillman.

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Read the rightwing blogs on the Tillman case. The once fair-haired boy is now a joke, his death just one of those things, his family a bunch of liberals who should shut just shut the f--- up.

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And now Pat Tillman is, in the words of an army chaplain, "worm dirt." And his death, which may have been a murder, is one big joke to these guys. Rumsfeld, leaving the Committee room, dodged Tillman's family, not offering a word of sympathy. He feels none.

  TPM Cafe

Rumsfeld almost didn't testify. As recently as the day before, Rumsfeld had declined the invitation to appear, citing "logistical difficulties." But his decision to come before the House Oversight and Government Reform committee proved to be a shrewd move. Had he stayed away, Rumsfeld's absence would have left many questions about his role unanswered and open to speculation. By doing so, he was able to form a united front with former Chairman of Joint Chiefs Richard Meyers, and former U.S. Central Command chief General John Abizaid — a trio of the highest-ranking Pentagon leaders at the time of the incident — against accusations that a cover-up was orchestrated from the highest levels. Rumsfeld and the generals gave vague but plausible explanations for when they heard the truth about Tillman's death and how they were powerless to make sure the family knew.

Instead, blame was heaped on the guy who wasn't there, Philip Kensinger, the retired three-star general who was head of the Special Forces command at the time.

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The House committee issued a subpoena for Kensinger to appear, but the U.S. Marshals' service was unable to deliver it before the hearing, according to a committee staffer who characterized Kensinger as "confrontational and not willing to cooperate."

  Time

Under oath, Rumsfeld testified that he could not recall when he learned that the Tillman story being perpetuated by the White House was false. He said that he tried to stay out of the investigation and did not discuss the matter with the president. He repeatedly said that his lack of involvement in the Tillman investigation was intentional because he wanted to avoid "command influence," later adding that he learned of Tillman's death "at a stage when investigations were underway, so I wouldn't have told anyone to do anything."

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[Congressman Dennis] Kucinich accused Rumsfeld of being involved in a string of cover-ups.

"Well, you know, maybe it was good because you actually covered up the Tillman case for awhile, you covered up the Jessica Lynch case, you covered up Abu Ghraib, so something was working for you."

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Kucinich then inquired about the involvement of the Rendon Group, a public relations firm that has previously contracted with the Department of Defense and the CIA in overseas propaganda efforts. Kucinich asked Rumsfeld if the Rendon Group was involved with creating a "press strategy," or media spin for the Tillman incident. Rumsfeld denied the involvement of the group in the Tillman case, but later said that "entities within the DOD" have held contracts with the group. He did not specify whether the contracts were ongoing.

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It is unclear when the White House learned that the fabricated Tillman narrative was in question. The White House has refused to turn over to Congress internal documents that relate to Tillman's death, citing executive privilege.

  Truthout

Hat tip to Cursor.