As members of Congress , it our constitutional duty to provide oversight on behalf of the American people . In order to provide accurate information for our constituents we request that a briefing be made available to Congress as soon as possible to answer the following questions : At any point during the firefight conflict.attack.selfdirectedbattle did the current rules of engagement restrict the immediate use of assets on hand ? Has there been any consideration in altering the current rules of engagement to be less restrictive in the future ? Did the U.S. or ANDSF have any air assets available in the region to support the forces that were engaged on the ground ?

Was there ever any request for air support ? At any time was the use of air support not authorized out of concerns for collateral damage ? How long did the firefight conflict.attack.na last ? What was the distance between the location of the firefight and the nearest QRF ? Why did it take so long for a QRF to reach the engaged US and Afghan personnel ?

Dear Secretary Carter : On Tuesday , January 5th , U.S. Armed Forces participating in a train and assist mission alongside Afghan National Defense and Security Forces ( ANDSF ) in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan came into heavy contact with Taliban forces . After a prolonged firefight conflict.attack.na , two U.S. service members were wounded and unfortunately Staff Sgt . Mathew McClintock was killed in action . The ultimate sacrifice by Staff Sgt .

Prior to Wednesday night , the Trump campaign clearly had handed over the whole effort to the unquiet ghosts of Bedlam past . There were the four ladies in St. Louis . Now , for the last debate of the campaign , the Trump campaign trotted out the president 's crank of a half - brother , who actually is from Kenya ; the angry mother of a man killed during the firefight conflict.attack.selfdirectedbattle in Benghazi ; and Deney Williams , whose paternity claim against the former president was settled rather definitively by a DNA test in 1999 . Getty George Frey Meanwhile , Trump political advisor Alex Jones hosted a segment with Larry Nichols , one of the all - purpose Arkansas con - men on whom so many influential reporters relied during the Great Penis Hunt of the 1990s .

Was there ever any request for air support ? At any time was the use of air support not authorized out of concerns for collateral damage ? How long did the firefight conflict.attack.firearmattack last ? What was the distance between the location of the firefight and the nearest QRF ? Why did it take so long for a QRF to reach the engaged US and Afghan personnel ?

Dear Secretary Carter : On Tuesday , January 5th , U.S. Armed Forces participating in a train and assist mission alongside Afghan National Defense and Security Forces ( ANDSF ) in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan came into heavy contact with Taliban forces . After a prolonged firefight conflict.attack.selfdirectedbattle , two U.S. service members were wounded and unfortunately Staff Sgt . Mathew McClintock was killed in action . The ultimate sacrifice by Staff Sgt .

In the days after a retreat , “ there would be relentless shelling ” at key sites , the CIJA ’s chief investigator , a Syrian , told me . Water pipes would explode , destroying hundreds of thousands of pages before he and his colleagues could enter . Sometimes armed groups would call them to come and collect the files after a firefight conflict.attack.na ended . “ Chain of custody is important , but it ’s not a deal breaker , ” Wiley said . “ It ’s not worth getting — Well , people have been killed and wounded moving this stuff . ”

Was there ever any request for air support ? At any time was the use of air support not authorized out of concerns for collateral damage ? How long did the firefight conflict.attack.selfdirectedbattle last ? What was the distance between the location of the firefight and the nearest QRF ? Why did it take so long for a QRF to reach the engaged US and Afghan personnel ?

At any time was the use of air support not authorized out of concerns for collateral damage ? How long did the firefight last ? What was the distance between the location of the firefight conflict.attack.selfdirectedbattle and the nearest QRF ? Why did it take so long for a QRF to reach the engaged US and Afghan personnel ? What was the time between the request for additional support and the time that support was authorized ?

As members of Congress , it our constitutional duty to provide oversight on behalf of the American people . In order to provide accurate information for our constituents we request that a briefing be made available to Congress as soon as possible to answer the following questions : At any point during the firefight conflict.attack.firearmattack did the current rules of engagement restrict the immediate use of assets on hand ? Has there been any consideration in altering the current rules of engagement to be less restrictive in the future ? Did the U.S. or ANDSF have any air assets available in the region to support the forces that were engaged on the ground ?

Prior to Wednesday night , the Trump campaign clearly had handed over the whole effort to the unquiet ghosts of Bedlam past . There were the four ladies in St. Louis . Now , for the last debate of the campaign , the Trump campaign trotted out the president 's crank of a half - brother , who actually is from Kenya ; the angry mother of a man killed during the firefight conflict.attack.firearmattack in Benghazi ; and Deney Williams , whose paternity claim against the former president was settled rather definitively by a DNA test in 1999 . Getty George Frey Meanwhile , Trump political advisor Alex Jones hosted a segment with Larry Nichols , one of the all - purpose Arkansas con - men on whom so many influential reporters relied during the Great Penis Hunt of the 1990s .

In the days after a retreat , “ there would be relentless shelling ” at key sites , the CIJA ’s chief investigator , a Syrian , told me . Water pipes would explode , destroying hundreds of thousands of pages before he and his colleagues could enter . Sometimes armed groups would call them to come and collect the files after a firefight conflict.attack.selfdirectedbattle ended . “ Chain of custody is important , but it ’s not a deal breaker , ” Wiley said . “ It ’s not worth getting — Well , people have been killed and wounded moving this stuff . ”

Prior to Wednesday night , the Trump campaign clearly had handed over the whole effort to the unquiet ghosts of Bedlam past . There were the four ladies in St. Louis . Now , for the last debate of the campaign , the Trump campaign trotted out the president 's crank of a half - brother , who actually is from Kenya ; the angry mother of a man killed during the firefight conflict.attack.na in Benghazi ; and Deney Williams , whose paternity claim against the former president was settled rather definitively by a DNA test in 1999 . Getty George Frey Meanwhile , Trump political advisor Alex Jones hosted a segment with Larry Nichols , one of the all - purpose Arkansas con - men on whom so many influential reporters relied during the Great Penis Hunt of the 1990s .

However , Commander John Harbour , a spokesman for the EU naval force in Somalia , told the BBC that the loss of navigation equipment would not necessarily be critical and that the signal from the beacon could vanish if the battery ran out or it entered a satellite blind spot . One Somali news website reported a conversation with an unidentified pirate who claimed the men were indeed dead – but said they had all been shot before they were loaded into the skiff . There is no evidence for this account , and photographs from the Moscow University seem to support Russian reports that marines killed one pirate in a firefight conflict.attack.selfdirectedbattle , and took the other ten captive . Commander Harbour observed that the Russian navy was within its rights to release the men as it did – and it is probable that the boat they were returned to was one of their own . He congratulated the Russians on a “ brave ” and successful action against piracy .

However , Commander John Harbour , a spokesman for the EU naval force in Somalia , told the BBC that the loss of navigation equipment would not necessarily be critical and that the signal from the beacon could vanish if the battery ran out or it entered a satellite blind spot . One Somali news website reported a conversation with an unidentified pirate who claimed the men were indeed dead – but said they had all been shot before they were loaded into the skiff . There is no evidence for this account , and photographs from the Moscow University seem to support Russian reports that marines killed one pirate in a firefight conflict.attack.firearmattack , and took the other ten captive . Commander Harbour observed that the Russian navy was within its rights to release the men as it did – and it is probable that the boat they were returned to was one of their own . He congratulated the Russians on a “ brave ” and successful action against piracy .

A very powerful explosion , ” said Victor , another local resident . “ I thought it must have destroyed the door [ of the station ] . ” There were conflicting initial reports about the circumstances of the ensuing firefight conflict.attack.firearmattack . Local police said there were two gunmen , one of whom was killed by gunfire at the checkpoint . Some media reported that four people were involved in the attack , which was called an attempted suicide bombing .

In the days after a retreat , “ there would be relentless shelling ” at key sites , the CIJA ’s chief investigator , a Syrian , told me . Water pipes would explode , destroying hundreds of thousands of pages before he and his colleagues could enter . Sometimes armed groups would call them to come and collect the files after a firefight conflict.attack.firearmattack ended . “ Chain of custody is important , but it ’s not a deal breaker , ” Wiley said . “ It ’s not worth getting — Well , people have been killed and wounded moving this stuff . ”

However , Commander John Harbour , a spokesman for the EU naval force in Somalia , told the BBC that the loss of navigation equipment would not necessarily be critical and that the signal from the beacon could vanish if the battery ran out or it entered a satellite blind spot . One Somali news website reported a conversation with an unidentified pirate who claimed the men were indeed dead – but said they had all been shot before they were loaded into the skiff . There is no evidence for this account , and photographs from the Moscow University seem to support Russian reports that marines killed one pirate in a firefight conflict.attack.na , and took the other ten captive . Commander Harbour observed that the Russian navy was within its rights to release the men as it did – and it is probable that the boat they were returned to was one of their own . He congratulated the Russians on a “ brave ” and successful action against piracy .

Dear Secretary Carter : On Tuesday , January 5th , U.S. Armed Forces participating in a train and assist mission alongside Afghan National Defense and Security Forces ( ANDSF ) in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan came into heavy contact with Taliban forces . After a prolonged firefight conflict.attack.firearmattack , two U.S. service members were wounded and unfortunately Staff Sgt . Mathew McClintock was killed in action . The ultimate sacrifice by Staff Sgt .

A very powerful explosion , ” said Victor , another local resident . “ I thought it must have destroyed the door [ of the station ] . ” There were conflicting initial reports about the circumstances of the ensuing firefight conflict.attack.selfdirectedbattle . Local police said there were two gunmen , one of whom was killed by gunfire at the checkpoint . Some media reported that four people were involved in the attack , which was called an attempted suicide bombing .

A nation that would n’t see civilian deaths as acceptable collateral damage from drone assassinations of suspected terrorists . That would n’t advocate and laugh at murder — even of admitted terrorists . You ’d expect something more along the lines of “ We tried our best to capture him alive so that we could bring him back to face justice starting with a fair trial , but , sadly , he died in a firefight conflict.attack.selfdirectedbattle . ” With a serious face , becoming of a Presumptive Future President . Not with a cackle that dismisses the value of human life , a value enshrined in the American conception of justice : innocent until proven guilty . Yep , Robert Gates ; Gang of Three ; Dick Cheney ( “ Vice”)—those are the Comrades with whom she shares her voluminous experience .