Rumsfeld Expresses Support for Probable War Chief Embroiled in Probe

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld expressed “complete confidence” in Army Gen. Tommy Franks Tuesday, but said he would review the results of an investigation into activities of Franks’ wife before making a judgment on whether the general abused his office.

Rumsfeld dismissed suggestions that he is acting inappropriately in expressing his support for Franks during the investigation by the Pentagon inspector general’s office, which ultimately will land on his desk for a decision on possible disciplinary action.

“I have not been briefed on the investigation by the inspector general and am not addressing that aspect of it,” he said. “I was commenting on Gen. Franks as an individual and the job he’s doing in his current responsibilities. I was not commenting on the investigation.”

The probe of the general, who would lead U.S. forces in a war with Iraq, began last summer when allegations surfaced that Franks allowed his wife, Cathy, to sit in on classified briefings and that, in violation of military regulations, a female officer was assigned to run personal errands for her and a military bodyguard was assigned to protect her. The existence and details of the probe were disclosed Tuesday in the Washington Post.

Investigations of senior military officers are not unusual and vary widely in their import. Pentagon regulations require that even anonymous allegations be investigated, and such probes regularly take many months, even when no disciplinary action results.

In the Franks case, military officials said it is unclear whether the allegations have merit or are the gripes of a disgruntled subordinate. Rumsfeld told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday that Franks had informed him of the investigation some time ago.

“He just informed me that there was an inspector general case, and he listed one or two of the allegations,” Rumsfeld said. “And I said, ‘Fine, it’ll run its course, thank you for informing me.’ ”

In response to questions about whether the probe could affect Franks’ current duties, Rumsfeld was emphatic.

“There isn’t a chance in the world that it will have any possible interference with his role as the combatant commander in the Central Command,” Rumsfeld said.

“Tom Franks is doing a superb job for this country. And we are lucky to have him there. He is a man of great talent and skill. And he has my complete confidence and the complete confidence of the president of the United States.”

As chief of U.S. Central Command, based in Tampa, Fla., Franks, 57, is responsible for all U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Named to his post in 2000, he commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan. He is overseeing the buildup of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf in preparation for a possible war with Iraq.

In a statement that a spokesman said would be his only comment on the matter, Franks said, “I am aware of the investigation and am cooperating with it. It would not be appropriate to comment on the investigation until it is complete.”

The disclosure of the investigation incensed Rumsfeld, defense sources said. A senior defense official called the timing “at best curious and at worst malicious,” and privately dismissed the allegations against Franks as “one of the more ugly episodes that I’ve seen.”

One defense official who has sat in on briefings with Franks said Cathy Franks has sometimes been in attendance, but has been asked to leave when classified material comes up. The official did not explain why she would have been present at such briefings.