Pelosi Angry That President Did Not Notify Leadership Of Baghdadi Raid

Just hours after a successful raid that led to the death of Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, the feared chief of the Islamic State in Syria, Washington was back to politics as usual. Democratic lawmakers complained that President Trump did not notify them before the strike.

There is a precedent of the President notifying the House Speaker, the Senate majority and minority leader, and the chairman and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees. In this case, Trump opted not to do that.

According to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “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.” “Our military and allies deserve strong, smart, and strategic leadership from Washington.”

Pelosi is one of President Trump's most outspoken critics. On Sunday, she called on the White House to brief lawmakers on the raid that targeted Al-Baghdadi, probably peeved that President Trump informed the Russians of Baghdadi's death before telling any of the Congressional leadership.

Trump's actions would generally be considered a political faux pas; however, the Russians were an active part of the raid in which Baghdadi was killed. So, of course, they were going to know about it before the Congress.

When asked about this, the President said he didn't want any of the information leaked before the raid. Those comments indicate that President Trump does not trust Congressional lawmakers with information on enemy combatants. “There’s nothing -- there’s no country in the world that leaks like we do. And Washington is a leaking machine. And I told my people we will not notify them until the -- our great people are out. Not just in, but out. I don’t want to have them greeted with firepower like you wouldn’t believe,” Trump said.

When asked whether he had informed Pelosi, Trump replied, “No, I didn’t. I didn’t do that. I wanted to make sure this is kept secret." But Trump did speak with Republican Senators Richard Burr and Lindsay Graham.