"Best Intelligence in the world" he said, announcing the killing of one general/diplomat and eight others on New Year's Eve by private military contractors and 'special operations" using a remote-controlled Drone strike.
Trump Says Killing Of Iranian General Was Necessary To 'Stop A War,' Not 'Start One'
Trump Says Killing Of Iranian General Was Necessary To 'Stop A War,' Not 'Start One'
By Claudia Grisales • 18 hours ago
Originally published on January 3, 2020 3:51 pm
Updated at 3:15 p.m.
President Trump, in his first public remarks in the wake of a U.S. strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, defended the action as necessary to protect national security.
"What the United States did yesterday should have been done long ago," he said, adding this was not done to prompt "regime change" in Iran.
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Congressional Republicans have praised Trump in the wake of the strike, the most significant U.S. action in the region in years, but Democrats are raising concerns that Americans could face dangerous long-term repercussions and are renewing complaints about the president's use of military force without informing Congress
> Earlier Friday, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox & Friends that he was told about the planned attack during a recent golf outing with the president. Graham was spotted at the president's course in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday.
> Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who specialized in threats in the region, said the administration's next steps are critical.
She noted that a new war power resolution is needed if further military actions against Iran were to continue.
"What always kept both Democratic and Republican presidents from targeting Soleimani himself was the simple question: Was the strike worth the likely retaliation and the potential to pull us into protracted conflict?" Slotkin said. "The two administrations I worked for both determined that the ultimate ends didn't justify the means. The Trump Administration has made a different calculation."
President Trump, in his first public remarks in the wake of a U.S. strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, defended the action as necessary to protect national security.
"What the United States did yesterday should have been done long ago," he said, adding this was not done to prompt "regime change" in Iran.
Congressional Republicans have praised Trump in the wake of the strike, the most significant U.S. action in the region in years, but Democrats are raising concerns that Americans could face dangerous long-term repercussions and are renewing complaints about the president's use of military force without informing Congress
> Earlier Friday, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox & Friends that he was told about the planned attack during a recent golf outing with the president. Graham was spotted at the president's course in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday.
> Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who specialized in threats in the region, said the administration's next steps are critical.
It is critical that the Administration has thought out the moves and counter-moves this attack will precipitate, and is prepared to protect our diplomats, service members, and citizens serving overseas.— Rep. Elissa Slotkin (@RepSlotkin) January 3, 2020
She noted that a new war power resolution is needed if further military actions against Iran were to continue.
"What always kept both Democratic and Republican presidents from targeting Soleimani himself was the simple question: Was the strike worth the likely retaliation and the potential to pull us into protracted conflict?" Slotkin said. "The two administrations I worked for both determined that the ultimate ends didn't justify the means. The Trump Administration has made a different calculation."
