GOP Congressman Tears Into Top Trump Defense Official — Suggests He’s Lying Under Oath in Stunning Hearing Moment

A House Republican torched a top Defense Department official for his “gross” and “disingenuous” testimony during a Thursday morning hearing.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby testified before the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday. The hearing focused primarily on the Trump administration’s national defense strategy.

During this hearing, Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) asked Colby if the administration applies Article 5 of the NATO to all other NATO countries. Article 5 refers to collective defense, meaning “an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all.” Turner noted that when Colby was previously asked about Article 5, he “waffled.”

The exchange continued:

TURNER: And I’m gonna give you a chance to un-waffle. And the un-waffling is, in that blanket statement, I think you made it clear that within NATO, there are no territories within NATO that are second-class citizens. There are no territories within NATO that are not within our Article 5 commitment, correct. The Baltics, the Balkans, there are no areas in which we have a lesser commitment.

COLBY: Sir, I respect that you’re making those statements. What I said is we are committed to Article 5, which is enshrined in the Washington Treaty. That’s what I said.

TURNER: So, to make it clear — so that you’re waffling, which goes on page after page — since you are capable of making the blanket statement, you are capable of saying that within the blanket statement that the United States is committed to NATO — NATO, the aggregate of NATO — and is committed to Article 5. You are capable, in front of this committee that is committed to NATO and committed to Article 5, to acknowledge that there is no territory within NATO, that there’s a second-class citizen, and there’s no area within which our national defense strategy is a lesser territory.

COLBY: Sir, what I said and what I continue to say is that Article 5 of the Washington Treaty–

TURNER: It’s yes-or-no question, Mr. Colby, and I’m a member of Congress. You have the ability to say–

COLBY: I have tremendous respect–

TURNER: — that there is no lesser.

COLBY: [Does] the Article 5 of the Washington Treaty apply to all of NATO? Of course, absolutely.

TURNER: Great, thank you. Thank you for that, because you didn’t have to go on and on and to continue, which is what everybody’s struggling with here.

Turner then took the time to hammer home his criticism even further, adding:

What’s been so difficult, and which is really kind of gross sitting here listening to you, is the chairman has said he feels like you’re dishonest, right? And you have been so disingenuous. Every time you answer a question, you feel this need to just continue on in these clarifications that are really, very unnecessary, and that these clarifications that you give make us all concerned about your commitment to the truth.

And I want to give you some of those clarifications that make me uncertain and really, very concerned about the policymaking within the department. You talk about the Trump administration when people ask you questions about the president’s decision making. When we’re asking about President Trump, you redefine it as the Trump administration. You say, “Our decisions are aligned with the president,” as if you’re reinterpreting the president’s decision making. I want to know about the president’s decision making, not your interpretation about being aligned. So, tell me you’re not trying to make decisions where you’re just divining an alignment with the president, an interpretation, that President Trump is the one making decisions, because up here we’re losing confidence as to whether or not Mr. Colby’s going into a room and trying to decide whether or not he’s aligned with the president, or whether or not President Trump’s making decisions, because we’re all comfortable with President Trump’s decision. We’re not comfortable with Mr. Colby’s.

Watch above via C-SPAN

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