A thread on Gen. Jonathan Vance’s comments re: Master Cpl. Patrik Mathews.
Earlier today, Vance revealed to reporters that Mathews came on the radar of the CF in April, roughly four months before the Free Press exposed him as an active recruiter for a neo-Nazi paramilitary group.
This is the first time they’ve said when they began tracking him. These comments have been widely reported. What’s not been reported—or has been forgotten—is this is in direct contradiction to what the CF previously told reporters.
On Tuesday, the CF finally put up someone to talk about this case. Commander 38 CBG Col. Gwen Bourque told reporters Mathews last worked for the reserves in May. She said at that time the CF was entirely unaware of any issues with him.
So one month after Vance says Mathews was flagged and had a sit down with his chain of command, the commander for the 38 says they were unaware of any issues...
Needless to say, this hasn’t cleared things up. Either Vance is misinforming the press or Bourque did. They both can’t be telling the truth.
It also raises some questions: To what extent—if at all—was the military aware of his membership in a neo-Nazi group? If he was indeed flagged in April, why was he actively parading with the reserves the next month on two separate occasions?
Finally, why is the CF leadership providing members of the press with conflicting and contradictory answers when it comes to this case?
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