Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi released a statement demanding a House briefing on the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and questioned why the Russians knew before Congress.
“The House must be briefed on this raid, which the Russians but not top Congressional Leadership were notified of in advance, and on the Administration’s overall strategy in the region,” Pelosi said in a Sunday statement after President Trump announced the death of the leading ISIS terrorist. “Our military and allies deserve strong, smart and strategic leadership from Washington.”
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The death of al-Baghdadi is significant, but it does not mean the death of ISIS. @realDonaldTrump must present the American people with a clear strategy to confront ISIS.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) October 27, 2019
Trump said during a press conference that he did not tell Pelosi about the raid in Syria because he “wanted to make sure” it was “kept secret.”
“There’s nothing — there’s no country in the world that leaks like we do, and Washington is a leaking machine,” the president told a reporter when asked why he did not notify congressional leaders.
Fox News host Chris Wallace grilled Vice President Mike Pence on the topic during Fox News Sunday asking the vice president if Trump trusted Pelosi with “sensitive national security information.”
“I think from the time we got actionable intelligence, the president’s total focus here was on a successful mission and the safety of American troops,” Pence responded.
Trump announced to the nation Sunday morning that U.S. Delta Force had killed Baghdadi in a special mission in Syria.
