Commander-in-Chief Takes Zero Responsibility for Failed Raid that Also Killed Scores of Civilians
President Donald Trump is under fire for blaming his generals while taking no personal responsibility for the loss of a Navy SEAL, Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan†Owens, during a failed raid in Yemen that he approved after just five days in office.Â
“This was a mission that was started before I got here,” the Commander-in-Chief told “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning. “This was something they wanted to do,” Trump said of his generals.
“They came to me, they explained what they wanted to do ― the generals ― who are very respected, my generals are the most respected that we’ve had in many decades, I believe. And they lost Ryan,” President Trump said.
Trump was asked about Owens’ father, who has said he does not want to talk to Trump and is demanding an investigation in to the raid.
“I can understand people saying that. I’d feel ― ‘What’s worse?’ There’s nothing worse,” he said. “This was something that they were looking at for a long time doing,” Trump insisted.
Reports state Trump was told it was a very daring mission that President Obama would not have been “bold enough” to approve.
Trump went on to say that Defense Secretary James Mattis said “it was a very successful mission. They got tremendous amounts of information.”
Reports state otherwise.
Navy SEAL William “Ryan†Owens died during that January 29 mission. While the White House has claimed it was a necessary mission that resulted in the capture of valuable data, some reports state that it was a failure.Â
In addition to Owens’ death, between 14 and 25 civilians were killed during the mission, including children. A $70 – $90 million aircraft was damaged and had to be destroyed to prevent it from being taken by enemies.
Thye decision to approve the mission was not made from the Situation Room or even from the Oval Office, but over a dinner that included Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, Defense Secretary Mattis and Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., Vice President Mike Pence, and the now-former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn.
The New York Times reported, “almost everything that could go wrong did.”
Trump is also under fire today for suggesting the anti-Semitic attacks on 100 Jewish Community Centers and cemeteries might be false flags, or “the reverse” of who people might might think would do them.
On Twitter, many were stunned that Trump would pawn off blame to his generals and take no responsibility for the death of Owens.
Here’s Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu of California:
Others:
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