Donald Trump was criticized after implying that U.S. soldiers stole funds from the federal government intended for reconstruction efforts during the Iraq war.
"Iraq, crooked as hell. How about bringing baskets of money--millions and millions of dollars--and handing it out?" Trump said at a campaign rally in North Carolina Tuesday night, the Weekly Standard reported. "I want to know who were the soldiers that had that job, because I think they’re living very well right now, whoever they may be."
Trump made the remarks on the same day as the U.S. Army’s 241st birthday.
Journalist Corbin Reiff, who was deployed to Iraq for a year between 2009 and 2010 as a sergeant, lashed out at Trump Wednesday in an impassioned rant posted to Twitter.
Yesterday, @realDonaldTrump, a man who never served in any capacity said this about me and my brethren that served in Iraq.
— Corbin Reiff (@CorbinReiff) June 15, 2016
The idea that Trump would call out the integrity of those who answered the call of service and deployed to a war zone is repellant.
— Corbin Reiff (@CorbinReiff) June 15, 2016
Reiff, who now writes for Rolling Stone, said he served in Western Baghdad as a Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of Foreign Claims and was tasked with assessing "damage to Iraqi citizen’s property, and person and compensate them monetarily."
He said the military entrusted him with taxpayer money in the form of U.S. cash so that he could compensate affected Iraqi citizens. This made his division "a high value target" for insurgents who attempted to steal the funds.
The job was tough, almost impossible, but it was the just thing to do and helped build a bridge of trust between us and the citizenry.
— Corbin Reiff (@CorbinReiff) June 15, 2016
There was always more to do, and the stack of files and faces never dwindled. I got half a day off every two weeks.
— Corbin Reiff (@CorbinReiff) June 15, 2016
He described having to listen to "heartbreaking stories" from widows and orphans who traveled to verify claims had been adjudicated while spending a year "in an aluminum trailer," separated from friends and family, "enduring mortar attacks nearly every night."
I am living well right now - some student loan debt aside - but not because I pocketed the hard-earned taxpayer money that I was entrusted.
— Corbin Reiff (@CorbinReiff) June 15, 2016
In my time overseas, the procedures that were put in place to prevent that from happening were frustratingly thorough.
— Corbin Reiff (@CorbinReiff) June 15, 2016
Don’t believe him when he says he’s for Veterans. It's lip service entirely.
— Corbin Reiff (@CorbinReiff) June 15, 2016
Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks told Politico after the campaign rally that the comments were referring to Iraqi soldiers, not U.S. troops that were in charge of managing reconstruction funds after the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship.
But members of VoteVets.org, the largest groups of progressive veterans in the United States, said Trump’s accusations should prohibit him from becoming president.
"Trump’s attack against the courageous American men and women who heroically worked to restore law and order in Iraq is at once uninformed and irresponsible," retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, senior adviser to the group, told the Military Times.
"For him to smear our troops and veterans as he has, it is disqualifying, as far as I am concerned."
Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.), who serves on the Armed Services Committee, said during MSNBC’s Morning Joe Wednesday morning that the accusations made him "want to go through the screen and shake the guy."
"Yesterday was the birthday of the Army. He insinuated that American soldiers were stealing money in Iraq. He said that," Kaine said.
Politico noted that Trump made similar remarks during a rally in September.
"They didn’t really want to fight for Iraq because Iraq is a corrupt government, you know. Remember when they were handing 50 million dollars of cash? Cash! ... I want to know who were the soldiers that are carrying cash of 50 million dollars?" he said in Keene, New Hampshire. "I wouldn’t be surprised those soldiers, I wouldn’t be surprised if the cash didn’t get there, I have to be honest."
Trump came under scrutiny last month after reports surfaced that he did not raise $6 million from a fundraiser for veterans’ groups as he had previously claimed.
Veterans later accused the business mogul of using them as "props" in his campaign for the White House.