Some members of Congress are putting pressure on the Pentagon over the lack of oversight for the billions in US weapons that are being pumped into Ukraine. Politico reported Thursday that there are lawmakers who have warned the Biden administration that the overwhelming congressional support for Ukraine aid could wane if the issue is not addressed.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) tried to add a provision to the $40 billion Ukraine aid that would create a new inspector general for oversight, but his effort failed. The measure passed in a vote of 86-11, with only Republicans voting no, mostly because of the lack of accountability for how the funds will be spent.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has also called for oversight of the aid being sent to Ukraine. “The US government is sending billions in humanitarian, economic, and military assistance to help the Ukrainian people overcome Putin’s brutal war, and the American people expect strong oversight by Congress and full accounting from the Department of Defense,” she said.
Demonstrating the severe lack of oversight, CNN reported in April that the US has “almost zero” ability to track the weapons it is sending once they enter Ukraine. One source briefed on US intelligence described it as dropping the arms into a “big black hole.”
The head of Interpol sounded the alarm on Wednesday over the number of weapons that are pouring into Ukraine, warning that they will end up in the hands of criminals. “The high availability of weapons during the current conflict will result in the proliferation in illicit arms in the post-conflict phase,” said Interpol Secretary-General Juergen Stock. “Even weapons that are used by the military, heavy weapons, will be available on the criminal market.”
Responding to the criticism of the lack of oversight, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Anton Semelroth appeared to blame the issue on Russia. “Risk of diversion is one of many considerations that we routinely assess when evaluating any potential arms transfer,” Semelroth said. “In this case, risk would be considerably minimized by the full withdrawal from Ukraine by Russian forces.”
Don’t you just love the illogic of Semeloth: “Risk of diversion is one of many considerations that we routinely assess when evaluating any potential arms transfer. In this case, risk would be considerably minimized by the full withdrawal from Ukraine by Russian forces.” But no rush to negotiate, is there?
You know, I just throwing spending my tax dollars into a dark pit that no one knows where it goes.
Biden & his $150 million dollar a day* war is criminal. Weapons spillover is only one aspect of his/their mess.
Source: Al Jazeera (June 03, 2022)
I think Biden is a sociopath. I thought Trump was one too.
I think none but a sociopath can aspire to the role, as it is today and has been for decades. Certainly none but a sociopath will be allowed to assume the role by the powers that be.
You are correct in both cases – and in the case of pretty much every other politician and corporate CEO.
The Big Black Hole…. A new aspect of US arms dealing: the criminal market… There’s a whole new realm of marketing possibilities…
It will be the start of another terrorism campaign anywhere on the globe (especially where there are natural resources we’d like to get our hands on) we can begin with increased aggression. Shipping weapons to criminals and Nazis (maybe one and the same), is kind of like past wars where we armed “freedom fighters” against enemies who became (Al Qaeda) terrorists who became enemies.
Could the idea be creation of an ISIS in the heart of Europe? Flood the zone with weapons, create chaos, then … who you gonna call?
And, yeah, just like inflation, it’s Russia’s fault.
The ISIS in this case are the neo-Nazis. CIA has been supporting them in Ukraine since WWII ended.
You’re right; but it matters not to them what version of right-wing violence they support (AlQ in Afghanland, IS in Iraq/Syria, fascists in Ukraine) as long as the result is instability and chaos.
I see another multimillion dollar mansion in ZelBoy’s future.
It beats playing the piano.
😆
Im sure that bothers you but not the trillions Little Hitler has stolen from the Russian people.
We’re not sending taxpayer money to Russia.
Exactly. Any monies Putin has stolen from Russians are Russian peoples’ business. Money from my taxes going for this obvious diversion the MI Complex profits and empire building is my business.
Exactly my point, Putin’s cheerleaders here criticize US/EU waging war but not the very guy who sent his entire army to scorch earth in Ukraine.
Edit: do you think everyone here is American?
She’s not a Putin cheerleader and I know she’s from Michigan. If we were backing Putin and sending billions of taxpayer money to Russia, she’d be bitching about our taxpayer money being sent there too.
In the Donbass Russia is fighting a war of attrition, and they are slowly but surely bleeding out US/NATO manpower, weapons and their economic future. Moscow is well aware that US/NATO has declared war and in the Donbass only, they are fighting for the Russian world which includes the Ukraine, and winning.
I think most people need to make a reassessment of what the Russian Federation is actually doing in the Donbass. Why do you think they changed course and withdrew from Kiev? They withdrew from Kiev to start a war of attrition not against Ukraine but against the US/NATO Nazified West.
The Russian Federation has only committed 10% of their contract military to maintain a huge reserve should US/NATO do anything stupid. The Russian Federation had obviously been preparing for this for some years and are in a very good position to maintain the war effort for a substantial time.
The US is funding the war and the costs in manpower, weapons and $ must be horrific. As i expected the propaganda war is hitting a reality brick wall and people world wide are waking up.
We all need to consider that Europe is totally dependent on Russia for Oil, Gas, Wheat etc etc etc while Russia is basically self sufficient. Hence Russia can operate fine without Europe. Russia can and will continue this war of attrition until the Nazified West collapses. Note i said until the Nazified West collapses, i did not say until they conquer Ukraine. The Russian Federations goal was never to conquer Ukraine, it was to disarm and DeNazify Ukraine et al.
In reality the US/NATO has no options in the Donbass, its called checkmate. Russia is in the process of conquering the Donbass while bleeding out the Nazified West, and US/NATO can do very little to stop it.
Russia never had a well defined military objective. They seem to have thought that once they convinced people they were serious Ukraine would negotiate a reasonable settlement. Unfortunately they were wrong
Moscow had a very defined military objective and a very defined strategy to achieve the objective. “Disarm and Denazify” This strategic war of attrition seems to be doing a very good job of achieving both objectives.
Ukraine will eventually negotiate a settlement on Russia’s terms. It is absolutely tragic and a crime against humanity that the nazified west has to be completely psychopathic in their attempts to loot Russia.
War crimes tribunals are required where all western leaders are held to account.
it’s all fun and games until an army surplus missle downs a passenger jet
or a cruise ship.
Y’all don’t get it. These soon to be retired, voted out or replaced officials from the president on down are sticking Americans into a conflict that each and every newly elected official will have forced on their plate. It’s a selfish part on many especially Biden and his family’s dark Ukrainian money making ties that is binding Americans into misery for years to come. They like Bush will be far gone from the white house but y’all will be stuck dealing with their short sighted.. “I’m going to live forever and be president forever” delusion.
According to reports, arms send to Ukraine are already showing up on the black market.
What a pathetically glib answer.
Responding to the criticism of the lack of oversight, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Anton Semelroth appeared to blame the issue on Russia. “Risk of diversion is one of many considerations that we routinely assess when evaluating any potential arms transfer,” Semelroth said. “In this case, risk would be considerably minimized by the full withdrawal from Ukraine by Russian forces.”
Which means since Russia had not withdrawn the risk of diversion would not “be considerably minimized”. Meaning that although the risk of diversion might be part of the assessment process, it obviously doesn’t seem to have much impact on the final decision. Meaning Lt. Col Anton Semelroth wants to be a full bird colonel someday.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!! Lets get some oversight on this war writ large. How did HILLARY CLINTON and VICTORIA NULAND with the help of the OBAMA HOLD-OVERS bring their war with Russians back to life and get the world AGAIN on the brink of WWIII…..!?!?!?!?!?
While Biden laments about the carnage in Uvalde and utters the usual clichés of “How much more carnage are we willing to accept?'” he is sending $40 billion in weapons to feed his own carnage in Ukraine.
I keep wondering what makes him think that he is different from the shooter?