Former Secretary of Defense and advisor to President Obama, Robert Gates, criticized lawmakers’ handling of confidential material and President Biden’s handling of the conflict in Ukraine in an interview published over the weekend.
When addressing current political challenges with presenter Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Gates made the comments in question.
Gates, when asked what more should be done by Biden in Ukraine, said that the administration’s current actions, which include sending tanks and other important military assets to Ukraine, should have been taken months ago.
Gates said that “a lot of stuff might have been done sooner.” And they’re saying it may take six months, a year, or perhaps longer before the Abrams tanks arrive. The choice to purchase Abrams tanks was crucial because it allowed the Germans to begin providing.
Recently, Trump, Biden, and ex-Vice President Mike Pence have been embroiled in controversies involving the improper handling of sensitive materials. When challenged about this, Gates responded that the problem is the negligence of those handling the documents.
You’ll be remembered as the person who “kind of” fixed dumb issues in Washington, DC. You’re like, “Why isn’t this fixed?” when things like that happen. With that, Todd kept going. When asked, “So how would you [address] this classified document scenario that our politics finds itself, is this something that the bureaucracy should fix?” If not, may something more sinister be at play here?
Gates replied, “Well, I believe – I think it’s about people being more responsible.” There’s some carelessness there, I believe. It’s possible that the records are being stolen. To ensure a smoother handoff of sensitive information, I propose we examine current procedures for making changes.
When Todd remarked on how “organized” the Pentagon was concerning confidential files, Gates assured him that no such files ever left the facility.
Previously, Gates has criticized Biden for his dismal foreign policy record, which has earned him criticism from Gates.
Biden, Gates said in 2019, was “wrong on practically every important foreign policy and national security issue over the previous four decades.” In 2021, Gates gave various examples of Biden’s earlier incorrect foreign policy positions.
Gates stated that he felt sick to his stomach while watching Biden’s botched retreat from Afghanistan, especially because it was unnecessary.