‘Gross Incompetence’: Biden Slammed for Outing Special Forces Troops on Social Media
In a shocking display of gross incompetence and disregard for the safety of our special forces, the White House shared a photo on Wednesday of President Joe Biden meeting with special forces members during his visit to Israel. What's even more alarming is that the photo was shared without blurring or censoring the faces of these elite operators, potentially putting them in harm's way.
As the caption stated, Biden supposedly met with these first responders to thank them for their bravery and response to the recent Hamas terrorist attacks. But in reality, the White House media team's careless mistake put these operators at risk and revealed their identities to the world.
This move sparked immediate criticism from lawmakers and commentators alike. Conservative commentator Katie Pavlich called it "gross incompetence" and Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) echoed the sentiment.
Fox News contributor Sara Carter, who is married to a retired operator, questioned how this could even happen and raised concerns about the safety of these soldiers.
But this is not the first time such a mistake has been made.
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Former President Trump also faced backlash in 2018 for revealing the identities and location of a covert U.S. Navy SEAL team in Iraq. And while he may have faced criticism for it, the same level of scrutiny and attention should be directed towards Biden and his team.
The fact is these special forces operators must maintain a level of discretion for their own safety and the success of their missions. Revealing their identities, even in something as seemingly simple as a social media post, can have dangerous consequences.
As former U.S. Navy intelligence specialist Malcolm Nance pointed out on “X,” it could be used as propaganda or used against them if they are detained or captured.
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While the White House has since deleted the photo, the damage has been done. This was a huge blunder and could have had disastrous consequences. And while some may argue that mistakes happen, it is important to hold our leaders and their teams accountable for such careless actions.
These soldiers have already faced enough risk and danger in their line of work. The least we can do is protect their identities and not make them targets for our adversaries.