Trump meets with SF Candidates
 

TRUMP TOOK FUTURE GREEN BERETS INTO WH

http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...s-oval-office/

by KRISTINA WONG

President Trump, in his third week in office, met with a class of Green Beret candidates and brought them into the Oval Office for the first time in the course’s history.The 18 Army officers in the Special Forces Qualification Course, or “Q-course,” were visiting the National Security Council in early February, as a normal part of the course.

But this time, Deputy Assistant to the President Sebastian Gorka, who was scheduled to speak to the students, had suggested that they meet the president.

The plan was to take them into the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing of the White House, but Trump decided to invite them into the Oval Office, to take pictures with them for their families.

“Halfway through the discussion, said, ‘Hey — we’re not supposed to do this but follow me, and he brought them all into the Oval Office, took a group photograph around the Resolute desk, and then — throwing the schedules into a bit of a tizzy, said OK that’s not good enough,'” Gorka told Breitbart News in an interview.

“He said, ‘everybody stand in the corner.’ They all stood in the corner, and one-by-one we took photographs they can take home to their family with each future Green Beret next to the president at the Oval Office desk,” Gorka said.


“That’s how much he loves our soldiers — our warriors,” he said. Gorka had earlier brought up the meeting during remarks on a panel at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday. Under Obama, he said, they “wouldn’t have even gotten into the West Wing.”

The Feb. 7 meeting, which was announced a day in advance, was not covered at the time by any news outlet.

A source familiar with the preparations for the event told Breitbart News shortly after the event occurred that the president’s decision to meet with the officers set off an “intense” scramble.

The source said NSC officials scrambled to notify the Pentagon officials so they wouldn’t be surprised, and no preparation materials had been drafted — such as background information on the course, expected topics of discussion, biographies of the students, talking points for the president, or other materials normally produced for a presidential meeting.

The source characterized the meeting as a “photo op” for the president to “once again, wrap himself in the flag of the military.”

A White House official, responding to a query by Breitbart News, said the meeting was private and “couldn’t be publicized.”

“It’s noteworthy to take the time to do an event that couldn’t be publicized,” the official said.

Photos from the event were never publicly distributed.

Several Pentagon and Army officials denied there was any “scramble” and that they were notified earlier in the week about the meeting and characterized it as a “non-issue.”

“Army officials were notified of the photo opportunity with the President beforehand,” Army Col. Patrick Seibert told Breitbart News.

Gorka also dismissed the report there was a scramble and said the plan was conceived a week and a half in advance.

“The opposition media will of course want to spin it, which is just ridiculous” he said.

During his first month in office, Trump has engaged with members of the military at least four times.

He was sworn in on Jan. 20, and a week later on Jan. 27, he made his first trip to the Pentagon. There, he met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and attended the ceremonial swearing in of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

A few days later, on Feb. 1, he made a private visit to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, to receive the remains of Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens, a Navy SEAL who died of wounds during a mission in Yemen.

Five days later, on Feb. 6, he visited MacDill Air Force Base to meet with Central Command commander Army Gen. Joe Votel and Special Operations Command commander Army Gen. Tony Thomas. He also ate lunch with enlisted service members, and spoke with representatives of the multinational anti-ISIS coalition.

The next day, back in Washington, he would meet with the Special Forces Qualification Course students.

Trump has also had several strategy sessions with Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Joe Dunford, the White House official said.

The visits have prompted Democratic criticism that the president was inappropriately politicizing the military.


“The president’s efforts to politicize the military, starting with his remarks at the CIA memorial, are becoming a troubling rhetorical pattern,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said after Trump’s visit to Centcom.

Specifically, Smith cited Trump’s remarks at Centcom, where he said, “We had a wonderful election, didn’t we? And I saw those numbers, and you like me and I like you, that’s the way it works.”

Multiple exit polls showed that military veterans voted for Trump 2-1, according to the Washington Post.


A brief search of news articles showed that former President Obama had almost as many engagements with the military during his first month in office.

During the Commander-in-Chief inaugural ball, Obama video-conferenced in Illinois National Guard members who were serving in Afghanistan.

He first visited the Pentagon on day nine of his administration, two days later than Trump in his administration. About three weeks in, he visited with family members of those killed in the 2000 USS Cole bombing. He visited Fort Myers in Florida about a week later.

Wow, special stuff for these SFQC guys.

S

I'm sure most of you would believe the absolute shit storm this caused in the company...it was amusing to watch. You'd think that world was coming to an end. :D

I completely believe you.

I just don't see why anyone cares. POTUS obviously loved it, since it was his idea, so whats the issue? If the boss's boss's boss's boss's boss is happy, why would anyone in between need to lose their shit? The officer corps needs a lot of Vicodin to smooth it out some.

I just want to know how many times their uniforms were inspected in the days leading up to it. :D

lol,

I imagine "Don't fuck this up gentlemen" was said more than once, by more than one link in the chain of command. :D

S

They were in suits...POTUS' Office wanted uniforms, but it was argued that since they are students, they would be in a miss-match bag of mixed branches, not SF, AND, they never go to DC for the week with uniforms as the primary objective is to learn about, and be briefed by the myriad of interagency players they may deal with as Team Leaders. So, they relented suits would be fine.


Funny thing is, MG Linder was told before anyone and he was all about it...said something to the effect of "Yeah, Make it happen!"

Down at ground level, there was very much the sense of don't fuck it up! ...and that's all I am going to say about that! :D

Shaking my head about the whole thing. Great opportunity for the students, positive face time for the Regiment, and an excellent opportunity to assess the students' ability to function at echelons above their pay grade. While I understand the consternation at the "middle management levels", I can't help but reflect on how much work has gone into ensuring these guys are the best possible choices to become future team leaders. Doesn't management (notice - I didn't say leadership) have any confidence in the system? After all - if they couldn't be trusted to handle something as low-threat as meeting an enthusiastic President, would we really want them leading ODAs?

Besides, does anyone think if Trump had.... one.... negative interaction with an O3 that he would suddenly alter USSOCOM policy? The guys losing their minds are tools. My 2 cents.

IA Visit
 

Well, there was the one CPT who decided to walk into (then) Director Petraeus' office at CIA to offer his advice. That one went well. The NCR visit is without a doubt one of the best things that the 18A and 18F courses do to prepare them for working with the IA. I didn't get that opportunity when I went through in 2006. Every time there is a visit and request for briefers I always present. I've done it from both sides of the IA now. Mike Brown still escorts them to all of their meetings and it is amazing to see how many former SF officers remember him from when they went through.

Yeah, probably a reason "students" were allowed to visit. Not sure what would happen if real SF soldiers were in the Oval Office..... ;)

(If that happened POTUS's license plates would all be missing, and the alcohol would be gone from the WH kitchen.)

(And Ivanka would be pregnant again! :eek:)

But seriously, did they freak out when....
.... perhaps because it wasn't in the roundish room.

I was just gonna say.....:D

Good one Peregrino :lifter

LOL!
 

Reminds me of the embassy in Kuwait during Desert Storm....;)

I didn't steal anything!!!!!!!! (Nor was I the one that shot up the place!)