Many recent diaries have commented on the
ongoing prosecution of Gen. Kevin P. Byrnes, the four star general relieved of command for having an extramarital affair with a female civilian. As we see below, Gen. Byrnes has some powerful and high placed forces after him.
Details after the jump.
A
New York Times piece by David S. Cloud details the major reason given for the near unprecendented action.
A major reason the general, Kevin P. Byrnes, was dismissed as head of the Army Training and Doctrine Command was that the inspector general found that he had violated the direct order from the Army chief of staff, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker...
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Schoomaker, along with acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers were testifying about alleged detainee abuses before the Senate and House Armed Services Committees during May of 2004.
The ongoing prosecution may work to prevent Gen. Byrnes from mounting a vigorous defense or alerting the public to the real reasons behind his persecution.
Army officials also disclosed that another senior officer, Gen. Dan K. McNeill, has been appointed to determine if any additional action should be taken against General Byrnes. Possible penalties range from a reprimand to a court-martial.
The name of Gen. Dan K. McNeill caught the attention of reporter Margaret Carlson writing this at the Huffingtonpost Blog
Way down in the piece, we learn that the officer appointed to determine if Byrnes should be court-martialed for a consensual affair is Gen. Dan K. McNeill. The Army has it wrong. If anyone should be court-martialed, it should be Gen. McNeill. Two prisoners were murdered on his watch and he covered it up.
I came to know McNeill when he was just a Lt. Gen. commanding forces in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003, oversaw Bagram prison and then, the polite word is misled, officials about what happened to two innocent prisoners there. He claimed the two died of natural causes. Both were murdered.
Prisoner abuses at Guantuanamo and in Iraq and Afghanistan under General McNeils command have drawn the attention of Amnesty International.