- Jun 19, 2020
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Why military brass kept Trump sidelined during high-stakes Iranian extraction operation - report
Military advisers intentionally excluded President Donald Trump from the command room during the recent high-stakes extraction of a downed American airman in Iran, fearing his erratic temper would jeopardize the mission, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a senior administration official.
The move came during a period of intense agitation for the president. Following the downing of a US jet by Iranian forces, Trump reportedly spent hours screaming at aides in a nearly empty West Wing, haunted by the specter of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. “If you look at what happened with Jimmy Carter... it cost them the election,” Trump privately fretted, according to sources familiar with the matter.
To mitigate the risk of impulsive interference, aides opted to provide the commander in chief with updates only at “meaningful moments,” rather than the minute-by-minute tactical feeds being monitored by the National Security Council.
The extraction operation, which took place over a tense 24-hour period during Easter weekend, was plagued by the same “blood and sand” complications that have historically bedeviled US efforts in the region. While Vice President JD Vance and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles monitored the progress from remote locations, the Situation Room was a hive of activity.
Unfit for office. He kind of reminds me of my son's high school basketball coach who screamed at the team during timeouts, as the assistant coaches tried to coach adjustments.
He didn't last the year.