Rolling Stone report: Army general ordered psychological manipulation of senators visiting Afghanistan

Updated at 12:30 p.m. ET

A three-star general ordered U.S. soldiers specializing in "psychological operations" to manipulate Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and several other lawmakers and top officials, in order to get more resources for the war in Afghanistan, Rolling Stone magazine is reporting.

The article gives testimony from Lt. Colonel Michael Holmes, the leader of an "information operations" team at Camp Eggers in Kabul, who says Army Lt. Gen. William Caldwell ordered his team to use their training on senators and other officials visiting Afghanistan.

Holmes said that Caldwell ordered his team to conduct background briefings on visiting officials that went beyond the norm -- to provide a "deeper analysis of pressure points we could use to leverage the delegation for more funds," Holmes said.

A spokesperson for Caldwell told Rolling Stone that the general "categorically denies the assertion that the command used an Information Operations Cell to influence Distinguished Visitors."

The article gives no evidence that any actual "psychological operations" were ever carried out. Using propaganda or psychological tactics to influence Americans would be a serious and direct violation of federal law.

The article was written by Michael Hastings, whose explosive profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal last year cost the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan his job.

Holmes said he received orders to target visiting American officials beginning in December 2009. The orders came from Caldwell, as well as members of the general's staff, he says.

"How do we get these guys to give us more people?" Caldwell's chief of staff reportedly asked Holmes. "What do I have to plant inside their heads?"

According to Holmes and other unnamed members of his "information operations" team, as well as internal documents the magazine reviewed, Rolling Stone reports that the list of targeted officials included visiting senators, as well as Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) of the House Appropriations Committee, Adm. Mike Mullen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Czech ambassador to Afghanistan, the German interior minister and several think-tank analysts.

Holmes said his team resisted the orders to the best of their abilities.

"My job in psy-ops is to play with people's heads, to get the enemy to behave the way we want them to behave," he said. "I'm prohibited from doing that to our own people. When you ask me to try to use these skills on senators and congressman, you're crossing a line."

Col. Gregory Breazile, the spokesperson for the Afghan training mission run by Caldwell, reportedly dismissed Holmes' complaints about the requests and later issued a written order for Holmes' team to conduct psy-ops on distinguished visitors.

Holmes was later the subject of an investigation ordered by Caldwell's chief of staff, and the lt. colonel suggests the investigation was retaliation for his complaints about the psy-ops requests.

Update: Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is ordering an investigation into the charges leveled in the Rolling Stone article, the Associated Press reports.

Meanwhile, Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee and one of the senators allegedly targeted, released the following statement in response to the Rolling Stone article:

"For years, I have strongly and repeatedly advocated for building up Afghan military capability because I believe only the Afghans can truly secure their nation's future. I have never needed any convincing on this point. Quite the opposite, my efforts have been aimed at convincing others of the need for larger, more capable Afghan security forces, and that we and NATO should send more trainers to Afghanistan, rather than more combat troops. I am confident that the chain of command will review any allegation that information operations have been improperly used in Afghanistan."