Pentagon plays down questions over Obama-McChrystal talks
AFP
WASHINGTON- The Pentagon said Monday that the top US military commander in Afghanistan was not complaining when he said he had spoken to President Barack Obama just once in the past 70 days.
General Stanley McChrystal said in an interview with CBS television's "60 Minutes" news program, broadcast Sunday, that he had spoken to Obama once by secure videoconference since arriving in the strife-torn country.
"There are a lot of people from this building, the secretary in particular, that meet with the president often," said Whitman. "This is clearly a topic that they discuss frequently."
The spokesman's comments came as the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Kit Bond, criticized Obama for not speaking more to McChrystal and pushed for the general to testify before Congress.
"While the president doesn’t want to hear from General McChrystal, Congress does," said the senator.
The Pentagon said recently that there are currently no plans for McChrystal to testify.
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