Top Democratic Leaders Kept in Dark about Attack on Soleimani

[Stuart G]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/03/politics/congress-soleimani-attack/index.html


Washington (CNN) — Senior congressional Democrats were not notified before the US strikes that killed Iran Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, something critics say is a breach of protocol over how the top leadership is typically briefed over sensitive military actions that carry great risks to the United States.

The four Democrats in the "Gang of Eight," a group of top congressional leaders who are generally privy to sensitive information that the rest of Congress is not always briefed on, include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who Thursday night criticized the administration for not consulting with Congress ahead of the attack.

It's unclear if any of the four Republican leaders were briefed ahead of time, but House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spent Thursday with President Donald Trump at his Florida resort. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, who is not a member of the Gang of Eight but who is a close ally of Trump's, said on Fox News Friday morning that he was briefed about the potential operation when he was with Trump in Florida this week.

After the attack at the Baghdad airport, Pelosi spoke to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a Democratic source told CNN. The two talked for about 13 minutes around 9:40 p.m. eastern time Thursday, hours after the attack.

The move is the latest indication that Trump typically keeps his close GOP confidantes in the loop over national security matters that have traditionally been handled more on a bipartisan basis, infuriating Democrats who say such highly sensitive matters should be devoid of partisanship.