Accused of torturing Iraqi informant; firing gun near head
West is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. His tenure ended after being accused of using improper methods to obtain information from an Iraqi detainee in 2003.
West was interrogating an Iraqi policeman who was believed to have information about a plot to ambush West and his troops. When the informant didn't talk, West watched four of his soldiers beat the man.
Then, Army prosecutors said, West threatened to kill the man and fired a pistol near the detainee's head to get him to talk. "I know the method
I used was not right, but I wanted to take care of my soldiers," West testified.
Cut defense budget: I know where's the low-hanging fruit
West responded to a question about potential budget cuts by saying, "Everything has to be on the table. We need to look at our Defense Department." The incoming chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Buck McKeon, called West on his cell phone.
How could West--who was vying for a seat on McKeon's committee--say that the defense budget ought to be cut?
"You're talking to a guy who's been on the ground," the freshman coolly replied. "There's waste, and I know where the low-hanging fruit is."
Source: Do Not Ask What Good We Do, by Robert Draper, p. 23
, Apr 24, 2012
Threatening Iraqi detainee yielded immediate information
West learned of a plot to assassinate him; he ordered Yehiya Kadoori Hamoodi, who supposedly had knowledge of the plot, detained for interrogation.
Hamoodi insisted, through several hours of questioning, that he knew nothing. Then West entered the room
The lieutenant colonel sat down in front of the detainee and placed his 9mm pistol on his lap, with the barrel facing Hamoodi. "You're either going to tell us what we need to know," said West, "or I'll kill you."
Hamoodi repeated his denials, and one
of West's soldiers punched him in the face. They dragged the Iraqi policeman over to a weapons clearing barrel and shoved his head down into it, West held his pistol against the back of Hamoodi's head. He counted backward from five. Hamoodi still
offered nothing. West then fired off a shot, purposefully missing the detainee by maybe an inch. Hamoodi promptly collapsed, invoked Allah, and proceeded to rattle off names and locations. [West was court-martialed].
American Exceptionalism requires growing armed forces
We must not forget other looming threats just on the horizon in China, North Korea, Venezuela, Russia & Iran. These nations and their leaders represent the biggest threat to our great nation. As your Congressman, I will work to reestablish American
Exceptionalism by growing and modernizing America's Armed forces to ensure that we are prepared for the strategic challenges ahead. Like President Reagan, I believe that peace is best kept through a strong national defense.
Source: 2010 House campaign website, allenwestforcongress.com
, Nov 2, 2010
Member of House Committee on Armed Services.
West is a member of the House Committee on Armed Services
United States House Committee on Armed Services retains exclusive jurisdiction for: defense policy generally, ongoing military operations, the organization and reform of the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, counter-drug programs, acquisition and industrial base policy, technology transfer and export controls, joint interoperability, the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, Department of Energy nonproliferation programs, and detainee affairs and policy.
The Committee on Armed Services maintains six permanent subcommittees, an Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, and a Defense Acquisition Reform Panel. Each of the subcommittees have differing jurisdictions, which overlap on key issues, but all are dedicated to providing for the men and women of America`s Armed Forces and the nation`s common defense. The subcommittees are:
Tactical Air and Land Forces
Military Personnel
Oversight & Investigations
Readiness
Seapower & Projection Forces
Strategic Forces
Emerging Threats & Capabilities
Source: U.S. House of Representatives website, www.house.gov 11-HC-AS on Feb 3, 2011