Roger accuses Pentagon policy Chief of being dishonest

House Armed Services Committee Chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) on Thursday sharply criticized Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby for failing to consult Congress about force posture changes in Europe, accusing him of not being truthful about the decision to remove a U.S. combat brigade from Romania.

“I’m concerned that you weren’t being truthful with me,” the Alabama Republican said at a hearing on the National Defense Strategy. “We may not always agree on a policy decision, but the Constitution requires you and your team to have forthright conversations with this committee about your decisions that you’re making and why you’re making them.”

Rep. Rogers accused Mr. Colby of sidelining Congress in the decision, which he said was not supported by the top military officials overseeing U.S. European Command.

“All of them made the assessment that this would increase NATO’s risk in terms of their posture against Russia, but it also sends a terrible signal about the United States’s commitment to NATO,” he said.

The chairman noted that President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had both said in the days leading up to the decision that there would be no significant changes to U.S. troop positions in Europe.

“It’s clear to me that you decided that pushing your agenda on U.S. force posture without interagency coordination and without regard to the president’s opinion or Congress’s was the way to go,” Rep. Rogers said. “Can you explain to me how you arrived at that position?”

Mr. Colby rejected the suggestion that he had been dishonest with the chairman and said the decision was made through proper channels after receiving the “best military advice.”

“I categorically assert that I was straight with you in our discussions and I commit to be,” he said. “Let me reassure you emphatically that I am a loyal lieutenant of the president, and we don’t do anything at the Department of War that is not aligned with the president. I am not in the chain of command.”