Apparently, Congressman Patrick McHenry cannot keep himself from hurting troops- be it belittling them, endangering them, or just right out ignoring them. Despite his recent attempts to hide the fact that he referred to a security guard in the green zone in Iraq as a "two bit" because he would not let McHenry into a gym in the early morning, McHenry has now done something that makes that "Two bit" comment look worth... well, about "two bits". In a recent attempt to calm the storm regarding his ugly remarks, Patrick McHenry distributed a video to his constituents via his website- a video of him after the attacks in the Green Zone.The problem? This video has not only now endangered American troops in the Green zone, it's violated OPSEC, and McHenry is in biiiig trouble. I wish I was joking.
The story starts with Lance Sigmon, McHenry's primary challenger, who released a telling video of Patrick McHenry belittling a security guard in a speech at a Lincoln Day Dinner with the GOP. In the speech, because the security guard would not allow McHenry to go into a gym in Baghdad in the morning without proper clearance, McHenry pitched a fit and got angry with both the guard and his supervisor. Great.
Then came the ever-famous McHenry spin. McHenry first denied he ever said it, then claimed it was a "Foreign National"- and as most of you know, I personally find that even worse. He continued to hide away from controversy, the only official statement made by his campaign coming from a radio interview on Sirius or some other satellite radio channel- a service that most in his district do not have.
McHenry then tried to look patriotic by promoting a video which he provided to his constituents and viewers on his website. The video shows McHenry right after the blast in front of an unnamed structure, describing the events of the blast- including some key information about not only what in the Green Zone was hit, but explaining his current position as smoke rose behind him.
The problem? The video violates OPSEC, and McHenry's attempt at making himself look like he was in danger has now officially put real American lives in danger- and certainly some "Foreign Nationals" too. As written about in VetVoice, a Veteran's blog, Patrick McHenry's little ego trip has effectively put lives in danger and violated a rule that McHenry should know full well about.
The irony? Patrick McHenry has previously bashed ABC news and other groups for giving out key information online... just as he just did. In fact, he was quoted as saying the following:
In a carefully worded request, seven House GOP lawmakers led by Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., asked the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to "look into the releasing of sensitive information and its impact on the security of our nation, the performance of our government agencies, and the viability of our diplomatic relationships overseas."
Well, McHenry, looks like you'll be eating crow tonight. Not only have you called a guard serving you (and inevitably protecting your life, which would be gone except for his ability to stand up to your pompous ass) a "two bit", but you have now endangered American lives in Baghdad because you grasp so tightly to your seat in Congress. I wonder how many American lives are going to die because of you, Mr. McHenry. Will you be the one to deliver the news?
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