Trump Just Blamed Generals For His Botched Yemen Raid
President Donald Trump is not a humble man. He thinks he is the best at everything, except when things go wrong, which is never, ever his fault.
While appearing in an interview on Fox and Friends, Trump was asked about last month’s disastrous raid in Yemen which took the life of Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens and the lives of nearly 30 civilians, including ten children.
Trump was quick to point the finger at others, saying that the raid was planned under the Obama administration, and then blamed the military for their poor handling of the situation.
This was a mission that was started before I got here. This was something that was, uh, you know, they wanted to do. They came to see 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.
While it is true that planning began under the previous administration President Obama wanted more operational intelligence and an operational environment conducive to covert operations before committing to the venture; Trump casually gave the go-ahead without it while at dinner “without sufficient intelligence, ground support or adequate backup preparations.”
That’s why instead of walking into a sleeping compound, the Navy SEAL unit found itself in a ferocious firefight against fortified positions and militant snipers. The militants had been tipped off by unusually active drone presence, which they could see because it was not a moonless night as President Obama’s staff had originally envisioned.
There are plenty of reasons why the Yemen raid went badly. Chief among them was poor intelligence and a helicopter crash which let Al-Qaeda know the SEALs were coming. Perhaps the raid might have gone a bit better, or might not have happened at all, had Trump even bothered to receive a proper briefing on the matter.
The dinner table is not an appropriate place to make potentially life-changing decisions about critical military operations. Trump seems to disagree, however, making the dinner table the scene of many decisions on national security, regardless of whether the table is in the White House or his Florida golf resort surrounded by dozens of civilians.
Ryan Owens was killed by violent extremists, not U.S. generals, and for Trump to say it’s their fault is an insult to the sacrifices they and Owens have made for this country. Ultimately, he is the commander-in-chief, and Owens’ death lies on his shoulders. For Trump to pass blame down the line is the height of cowardice.
This is the latest in a string of public gaffes that suggest Trump doesn’t actually give a damn about the military or the sacrifices they make. ‘In typical Trump style, he recently made a service to remember the fallen about himself. He has also slandered America’s bravest, saying that they “don’t fight to win.” A man who shows a blatant disregard for those under his command does not deserve to be and is not fit to be commander-in-chief.
Watch the video below:
Watch Trump’s response when asked about the father of slain SEAL William “Ryan” Owens, who died in the Yemen raid pic.twitter.com/lOrAx6KAdz
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 28, 2017
