House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement demanding a House briefing on the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and also 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 statement on Sunday.
“Our military and allies deserve strong, smart and strategic leadership from Washington,” Pelosi added.
Nancy Pelosi also commended the U.S. military for carrying out the raid but didn’t mention President Trump, who made killing al-Baghdadi a priority and gave the order for the strike.
“The death of al-Baghdadi is significant, but the death of this ISIS leader does not mean the death of ISIS. Scores of ISIS fighters remain under uncertain conditions in Syrian prisons, and countless others in the region and around the world remain intent on spreading their influence and committing acts of terror,” said Pelosi.
During a press conference, President Trump said that he didn’t tell Nancy 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,” President Trump told reporters when asked why he did not notify congressional leaders.
Fox News host Chris Wallace took a few shots at Vice President Mike Pence on the topic during Fox News Sunday asking him if President Trump trusted Nancy 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,” Vice President Mike Pence responded.
President Trump announced to the nation on Sunday morning that U.S. Delta Force had killed Baghdadi in a special mission in Syria.