A veteran responds to Trump’s comments on troops embezzling cash in Iraq
Presumptive Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, making his comments on troops in Iraq during a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 14th 2016.
On Tuesday, during a stump speech in Greensboro, North Carolina, presidential hopeful Donald Trump implied that some soldiers in Iraq stole recovery funds delivered to the country in the wake of the Iraq War.
"Iraq, crooked as hell. How about bringing baskets of money? Millions and millions of dollars and handing it out? I want to know, who are the soldiers that had that job because I think they're living very well right now, whoever they may be," the GOP frontrunner said.
Trump's spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, later said that Trump was referring to Iraqi soldiers, not US soldiers.
As writer Eliot Ackerman responded, "You can watch … the video and make up your own mind."
Ackerman, a veteran of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, penned a piece for the New Yorker in response to Trump's comments. Ackerman is now a novelist living in Istanbul, but he was a commissioned officer in the Marine Corps from 2003-2011, ending his career as a captain. He served extended deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, handling large sums of money.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!