Records from that meeting were never circulated. Other stakeholder agencies—such as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Defense Department, the US Mission to the United Nations, and the Office of Management and Budget—were excluded from subsequent conversations. At another session, in August, someone from the NSC asked why the administration was excluding representatives from the military, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the FBI, all of whom were usually active participants. One of Miller’s surrogates replied, “What the hell does DOD have to say about this?”
