Head of U.S. Special Ops says that America's government is in "unbelievable turmoil"

Army Gen. Raymond "Tony" Thomas didn't offer specifics but said he wants the government as "stable as possible"

By Matthew Rozsa

Staff Writer

Published February 16, 2017 4:42PM (EST)

 (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Army Gen. Raymond "Tony" Thomas, the head of US Special Operations Command, bemoaned the "unbelievable turmoil" racking the United States government during a symposium in Maryland on Tuesday.

"Our government continues to be in unbelievable turmoil. I hope they sort it out soon because we're a nation at war," Thomas said in his speech, according to CNN. Although he didn't specify what "turmoil" he was referring to, he clarified when later asked about his comments, saying, "As a commander, I'm concerned our government be as stable as possible."

The Special Operations troops include Navy SEALs and the Army Green Berets, both of which have become increasingly prominent in military operations since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and which are equally prominent in our national folklore.

While it is unclear what Thomas was referring to, it is quite possible that he was discussing the war that has been ongoing between the so-called "deep state" and the Trump administration. Critics have accused America's intelligence agencies of trying to promote an anti-Russian agenda and punishing both President Trump and various administration advisers with targeted leaks intended to discredit them. There are also reports that members of intelligence communities, convinced that the Trump administration has been compromised by the Russian government, has withheld information from the president in order to avoid having it leaked out.

Naturally, the most recent manifestation of the poor relationship between Trump and the intelligence community were the events leading up the resignation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Although Flynn initially claimed that he had not spoken with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak about President Barack Obama's sanctions, intelligence leaks later revealed that he had in fact done so, prompting his resignation.


By Matthew Rozsa

Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

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