Army probes whether McChrystal aides were insubordinate

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army inspector general is investigating whether aides to former Afghanistan commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal were insubordinate when they made a series of derogatory comments about top civilian leaders to a Rolling Stone reporter, McClatchy Newspapers has learned.

The investigation comes as the Pentagon grapples with how much access the reporter who wrote the piece, Michael Hastings, should have to troops. Hastings was banned from a scheduled embed this September in Afghanistan for being untrustworthy, Col. David Lapan, the director of the Pentagon press office, said yesterday.

Last month, however, the Army granted Hastings an interview with forces he'd embedded with previously in Afghanistan, saying it saw no harm.

Army officials confirmed the investigation but wouldn't say who asked for it or specify what its scope is. The investigation began shortly after McChrystal was relieved of his command in June.

Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice says that an officer can face court-martial for speaking ill of his civilian leadership.

Shortly after the article was published, McChrystal was relieved of command. He then retired. Several of his aides, unnamed in the story, remain in the Army, however. - MCT