Donald Trump speaks in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, October 27, 2019 (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
I spoke with CNN International’s Rosemary Church on Monday about Donald Trump’s attempt, to salvage his political position, to hijack the reported killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
TrumpWatch, Day 1,011: How Trump Notified Russia, Rather Than Congress, of Raid on ISIS’s Baghdadi
Critics are asking why Pres. #Trump did not inform top #Democrats of the raid that ended in the death of #ISIS leader #AbuBakrAlBaghdadi & why he spoke to #Russia instead, despite Russia now denying that. I put those questions to @ScottLucas_EA pic.twitter.com/ALTQI5MozQ
— Rosemary Church (@rosemaryCNN) October 28, 2019
We discuss the reasons for Trump’s unfounded claim that Democratic legislators are security risks, leading him to inform Russia rather than Congress of the raid.
Trump has faced criticism from Democrats and Republicans for his sudden order to withdraw Americans troops from northern Syria. In the eyes of many, he has effectively abandoned Kurdish allies and endorsed a Turkish offensive into Kurdish-held areas.
Secondly — and let’s be honest here — Donald Trump likes Vladimir Putin. Donald Trump likes to be liked by Vladimir Putin.
We examine why Moscow is denying any knowledge of the raid — “Russia wants to keep Trump on a string, and Russia wants to keep the Americans on a string in Syria” — and the statements of US officials that Trump’s unpredictable approach to Syria also caused the abandonment of the raid against Baghdadi.
See also TrumpWatch, Day 1,011: How Trump Notified Russia, Rather Than Congress, of Raid on ISIS’s Baghdadi
Syria Daily, Oct 28: How Trump Nearly Scuttled US Military’s Raid v. ISIS’s Baghdadi
