Reports: Sec. of Def. Hagel 'clashed' with White House, Susan Rice over Guantanamo detainee releases

Greg P. | 10:44 AM on November 25, 2014

The rioting in Ferguson, Mo. last night is pushing other stories out of the spotlight today, but these stories on Chuck Hagel and ouster as the Sec. of Defense merit attention:

@joshgerstein scoop: Hagel clashed with WH, Rice over Gitmo releases. http://t.co/Dly3CWpAB3

— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) November 25, 2014

An excerpt:

When Obama began pushing last year to reinvigorate the process of closing Guantanamo, White House aides repeatedly urged Hagel to sign off on transfers of detainees who’d long been cleared for release. Yet for months the defense secretary refused to sign certifications that the future threat posed by the prisoners could be adequately mitigated, according to a U.S. official.

“This was not an insignificant source of friction,” said the official, who asked not to be named. “I can say definitively on this one it has been utterly public and unmistakable in terms of the disconnect.”

White House irritation with Hagel grew so intense that last May, National Security Adviser Susan Rice sent Hagel an extraordinary memo directing him to report every two weeks on progress towards transferring or releasing Guantanamo prisoners, the source said, discussing a directive first reported earlier this year by The New York Times. It’s unclear when or if those reports were submitted.

Whoa. The New York Times has a similar report out today, too:

Blimey. White House angry with Chuck Hagel for not emptying Guantanamo Bay. http://t.co/c8GovyN2by pic.twitter.com/MrWpEjACtl

— Toby Harnden (@tobyharnden) November 25, 2014

Or how about this characterization from an anonymous “administration official”:

Obama administration official describes Chuck Hagel as "the low-hanging fruit" http://t.co/c8GovyN2by

— Toby Harnden (@tobyharnden) November 25, 2014