The Hill: Democrats fume over being kept in dark on al-Baghdadi raid
Democrats are furious they were not told ahead of time about the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and are now pressing for a full briefing on what happened.
Trump and his deputies have defended the decision not to notify Democrats, accusing them of leaking. And two of the president’s top Republican allies said Monday they too were not told in advance of the raid.
But Democrats say Trump’s failure to brief them ahead of the operation is part of a pattern evident since he announced he was withdrawing U.S. troops from northern Syria earlier this month.
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WNU Editor: The Republicans were also not told, and I am sure they are not happy .... McConnell, McCarthy not notified ahead of Baghdadi raid (The Hill). Unfortunately, there has been a problem in the past where leaks have damaged U.S. operations. As I mentioned yesterday, there is a precedent where a leak gave al-Baghdadi a heads-up on U.S. operations .... Top U.S. Special Operations Commander In 2017 Said ISIS Leader Slipped Away Due To A New York Times Leak (October 28, 2019). And when one looks at today's Washington, with no trust between the U.S. President and Congressional Democrats on any issue, you cannot help but wonder if given the opportunity, such intel will be exploited for political reasons. After-all, we are witnessing it everyday with selective leaks on the Trump impeachment inquiry to the media. Bottom line. My commentary on Sunday that withholding this information is going to be debated on and analyzed for a long time still holds .... President Trump Did Not Inform Congressional Democrats On The Raid That Killed ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. (October 27, 2019).