U.S. Congressman And The Pentagon Are 'At War' On Where A Military Base Should Be Built

Shane Harris & Nancy Youssef, Daily Beast: Exclusive: Top Congressman Accuses Pentagon of ‘Criminal’ Leaks

An obscure decision over a military base has turned into a Washington knife fight, with a leading congressman accusing the Pentagon of trying to stab him in the back.

Rep. Devin Nunes, the powerful chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has accused the Defense Department of misleading members of Congress about the cost of building a new military intelligence center at a base on a set of idyllic islands in middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

But now, the Pentagon is turning the tables on the congressman, arguing that he’s the one not playing straight and questioning his motives for suggesting an alternative site. The dispute has turned what’s normally a humdrum affair—decisions on where to build military facilities—into an old-fashioned Washington knife fight.

Nunes is even accusing the Pentagon of straying into “criminal territory” and using borderline-racist tactics.

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WNU Editor: A politician having a preference on where a military facility should be built is nothing new in Washington (or anywhere else). But in this case .... I do not see how building and maintaining a military base on an island that is out of the way can be cheaper than building it in a place like Britain.