The former Secretary of Defense under President Obama, Robert Gates, criticized lawmakers’ handling of confidential material and President Biden’s handling of the situation 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, responding to a question on what Biden might change 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.
Many of these things “should have been done sooner,” Gates said. They’re saying it may be six months, a year, or longer before the Abrams tanks arrive. Choosing the Abrams tank was crucial because it allowed the Germans to start 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 this happen. After then, Todd went on. To what extent do you think the bureaucracy should intervene to resolve the secret document impasse in which our political system currently finds itself? Maybe there’s something more sinister at play here.
To which Gates said, “Well, I believe – I think it’s about people being more responsible.” I suppose there’s some carelessness involved. There may have been an attempt to steal the papers. To ensure a smoother handoff of sensitive information, I propose we examine current procedures for making changes.
After Todd remarked on how “orderly” the Pentagon is concerning confidential documents, Gates assured him that no such papers ever leave the facility.
Gates has already attacked Biden for what he sees as the vice president’s catastrophic foreign policy record.
Back in 2019, Gates issued a warning that Biden has been “wrong on practically every important foreign policy and national security issue over the previous four decades.” In 2021, Gates provided various examples of Biden’s incorrect foreign policy positions.
Gates claimed he felt sick to his stomach while watching Biden’s terrible withdrawal from Afghanistan because it did not need to be so horrible.