“It remains to be seen what consequences, if any, will emerge from claims of Obama’s interference with Project Cassandra. If proven to be accurate, the implications will be that a previous administration intentionally blocked government action to address a problem that has now become a serious threat to national security.”
In what could be one of the most damning revelations for the former U.S. administration, reports are beginning to emerge indicating that the Obama White House interfered with federal investigations into criminal operations in Latin America in order to streamline political aims.
According to investigative journalists, the Obama administration derailed a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.
The motivation behind this move? To suppress any evidence that would undermine the administration’s efforts to secure a nuclear deal with Iran.
The DEA campaign, dubbed Project Cassandra, was launched in 2008 after the agency amassed evidence that Hezbollah had branched into the South American drug market in an effort to amass illicit funding for its global operations. The investigation quickly revealed that Hezbollah was involved in a plethora of criminal activities in Latin America, ranging from money laundering, to massive weapons and drug trafficking. Profits from these activities had approached $1 billion in 2014.
The establishment of Hezbollah activities in the Western Hemisphere poses threats to national security from a myriad of angles. Providing a source for illegal arms, funneling narcotics into the country, and creating a network for criminal finance are just a few examples, not to mention the possibility of infiltration into the U.S. through the porous southern border.
For years, security officials have been sounding the alarm on this very real and present danger. Nevertheless, in his 2015 statement before Congress on military posture in the south of the country, then-commander of the U.S. Southern Command, General John Kelly, complained of America’s “limited intelligence capabilities” that made it difficult to fully assess the amount of terrorist linked finance activities. The scope of “criminal-terrorist collaboration” in Latin America also remained largely a big question mark.
This was a policy decision, it was a systematic decision
Reports are now indicating that these “limitations” may have been directly imposed by the former administration officials. According to statements by federal investigators, many of whom are speaking about the events for the first time, the White House repeatedly threw obstacles in front of them when it came to looking into Hezbollah.
The Justice Department stubbornly declined requests by Project Cassandra and other authorities to file criminal charges against suspects. The Treasury Department delayed or hindered efforts to trace finances linked to Hezbollah’s activities. According to David Asher, a Defense Department illicit finance analyst who played a key role in Project Cassandra, these delays were part of a conscious effort by the administration to block the investigation.
“This was a policy decision, it was a systematic decision,” said Asher. “They serially ripped apart this entire effort that was very well supported and resourced, and it was done from the top down.”
Condemnation of the administration have begun to come from policymakers as well. Representative Robert Pittenger (R-NC), the chairman of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, lambasted the Obama administration for intentionally interfering in the DEA operation. According to Pittenger, the White House was fully aware of the evidence showing Hezbollah’s activities.
They serially ripped apart this entire effort that was very well supported and resourced, and it was done from the top down.
However, all evidence of these activities needed to be kept under-wraps, as they severely undermined Obama’s plan for shifting US relations with Iran. Obama came into office in 2009 with the promise of normalizing relations with Iran. John Brennan, Obama’s top advisor on homeland security and counterterrorism was arguably even more enthusiastic on this point than the president. Brennan often spoke of normalizing relations with the “moderate” elements in the organization, and that this was a critical step in the U.S. improving its connection to Iran. The coming to light of Iran’s jihadist proxy running a massive gun and drug trafficking operation in America’s backyard would spell the end for such policy plans.
It is fascinating to note how these revelations are coming out at a time when the current administration has been increasingly emphasizing the need to crack down on the jihadist-drug trade complex in Latin America. Voices amongst Trump’s cabinet calling for action on this issue began several months ago and have only been getting louder.
Last April for instance, then Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly told students at George Washington University that terror groups were already deep in the process of networking with drug and other criminal entities in South America. Kelly was essentially pushing forward the same objectives that he supported during his time as head of Southern Command, only this time as an executive official. Kelly advocates for the implementation of strong policies to secure the country in the face of this threat, including the building of President Trump’s promised southern border wall.
In November, Trump officials again brought up the importance of addressing the so-called “Iran Threat Network”. At the time it was announced that the FBI has attained substantial new evidence on Iran’s terror supporting activities in South America, in countries like Argentina, that could form the basis for new policy steps and action aimed at Hezbollah. These reports came less than a month following the arrest of two individuals in New York City who were allegedly acting on behalf of Hezbollah in the U.S.
The arrests were the result of a joint FBI-NYPD investigation into Hezbollah’s operations in South and Central America. According to New York prosecutors, 32-year-old Ali Kourani of the Bronx, and 37-year-old Samer el Debek were recruited by Hezbollah to scout out targets such as U.S. and Israeli embassies in those regions for the purposes of planning attacks against them, as well as assessing vulnerabilities of the area’s infrastructure, including the Panama Canal.
No doubt that all of these indications of Iran backed and Hezbollah executed operations in the Western Hemisphere will illicit serious reactions from the Trump administration. It remains to be seen what consequences, if any, will emerge from claims of Obama’s interference with Project Cassandra. If proven to be accurate, the implications will be that a previous administration intentionally blocked government action to address a problem that has now become a serious threat to national security.
A serious implication indeed.
