Jack Reed: “there are two issues with respect to Mr. Flory. The first is access to documents which are necessary for the Senate to…”

“there are two issues with respect to Mr. Flory. The first is access to documents which are necessary for the Senate to do its job. We can't formulate policy, we can't draft legislation, we can't properly review the activities of the Department of Defense if we are denied critical information. This Defense Department persistently, constantly denies information of that sort. This is something about which Senator Levin has made the point very well, made the point about his attempts to get information with respect to issues that touch on the activities of Mr. Flory and the activities of others. Senator Levin has been denied. Without any justification, without any legal precedent, they simply said we are not giving it to you--and that is outrageous. Frankly, because we have acquiesced in this policy over many years, we have not done our job in the Senate. We allowed this Defense Department to take military forces to war without a plan for occupation because we didn't ask--demand that they give us the information in that plan. We have done this repeatedly. It has to stop because it has real consequences in the activities of our military and the effect on these young men and women across the globe. We have to do our job. Our job begins with getting this type of information.…”