The death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during a U.S. military raid in Syria dominated the political talk shows on Sunday morning, which carried President Trump’s announcement of the mission live.
Trump’s top aides said the death of the terror group’s leader marked a “great day” for the U.S. and the world.
President Trump announced Sunday that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed in a U.S. military raid in Syria.
“Last night, the United States brought the world’s number one terrorist leader to justice,” Trump said in remarks from the East Room of the White House. “Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead.”
President Trump said Sunday that he did not tell some congressional leaders about the U.S. military raid in which ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died, citing “Washington leaks.”
Vice President Pence on Sunday morning called the Saturday raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northern Syria a “great day for America” and said it was a testament to President Trump’s “decisiveness.”
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday that the raid that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was a “brilliantly executed operation.”
The top GOP representative on the House Armed Services Committee said the location of the raid that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi could indicate some cooperation between ISIS and al Qaeda.
Former National Director of Intelligence James Clapper warned Sunday that the U.S. can’t “stop worrying about ISIS” after the death of the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death.
Former U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Sunday that while the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is “a major milestone,” steps will need to be taken to ensure the terror organization does not regroup.
Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday morning said he was not aware of any quid pro quo in relation to the White House’s hold on military aid to Ukraine, but demurred on whether the officials who have testified on the issue are lying.
Steve Bannon, a former White House chief strategist and long-time ally of President Trump, said in a radio interview broadcast on Sunday that Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) impeachment strategy is “winning.”
House Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) has said he hasn’t heard “a single thing” that President Trump could be impeached for during witness testimony in the House impeachment inquiry.
