Trump Says He Knew in Advance that Iran Would Bomb US Base in 2020

[ClydeR]

Trump repeated a claim he has made at various campaign events in recent months, saying Iran intentionally avoided hitting a base that housed US troops in Iraq when it launched missiles toward the base in January 2020 in retaliation for the Trump-ordered assassination of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.

Trump claimed on Fox, as he has before, that Iran “called me” to let him know of its plan to deliberately miss. He said, “We knew they weren’t going to hit inside the fort” even though outside observers were left wondering, “How come they all missed?”

Facts First: Trump’s claims that all of Iran’s missiles missed the base are false. As The Washington Post noted in its own fact check late last year, 11 Iranian missiles hit the al-Asad base Iran targeted in the retaliatory attack. The fact that missiles hit the base was confirmed by satellite images, by the Pentagon, and by a CNN visit to the base days after the attack. CNN reported from the scene: “Ten of the 11 missiles struck US positions at the sprawling desert Iraqi airbase. One struck a remote location on the Iraqi military’s side.” CNN reported that “the Iranian missiles, which used on-board guidance systems, managed to shred sensitive US military sites, damaging a special forces compound, and two hangars, in addition to the US drone operators’ housing unit.”

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From January 2020..

WASHINGTON (AP) — At first, President Donald Trump stated inaccurately that no U.S. troops were injured in the Iranian missile attack against them in Iraq. Then he prematurely minimized those injuries as doctors tried to determine how severe they were.

On Friday, the Pentagon said that in fact, 34 troops suffered traumatic brain injuries in the attack and half remain under medical observation in Germany or back in the U.S. more than two weeks later.

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TRUMP, Wednesday: “I heard they had headaches and a couple of other things ... and I can report it is not very serious. ... No, I don’t consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I’ve seen. ... No, I do not consider that to be bad injuries, no.” — press conference in Davos, Switzerland.

THE FACTS: Trump had no basis for stating this week — after medical evacuations of wounded troops — that the injuries that surfaced were in the realm of mere headaches. And in the immediate aftermath of the attack, his categorical statement that no one was hurt soon proved wrong.

It took several days for the Pentagon to understand it had casualties requiring further treatment. Meantime Trump declared all troops safe and unhurt as recently as the night before the first wounded soldiers were evacuated from Iraq for more treatment and screening than could be done there.

Was it Unexpected?

Then, Iran unexpectedly launched 15 ballistic missiles in an unprecedented attack on the base on Jan. 8, 2020. The strike narrowly avoided killing scores of U.S. troops, including Futrell and other Guard members, and brought tensions between Washington and Tehran to the boiling point.

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If Trump knew in advance, as he claims, why didn't he warn the soldiers?




Purple Hearts

In a shameful chapter in US military's treatment of its members, the White House pressured the Pentagon not to award the injured troops any recognition that would contradict Trump's unfounded statement that no one was injured. Eventually, the Pentagon relented and recognized their sacrifice..

The Army will award the Purple Heart to dozens of additional soldiers injured when Iran struck their airbase in Iraq with ballistic missiles in January 2020. The shift comes after a CBS News investigation last month found these same soldiers had not been recognized with the award and denied the medical benefits that come with it, despite appearing to qualify.

In a statement to CBS News on December 8, a spokesman said the Army's Human Resources command, which oversees awards, approved 39 Purple Heart submissions for soldiers wounded in the attack. The final 11 awards were approved December 20. The 50 Purple Hearts are one of the largest single awards in recent decades.

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[Seran]

Whoa whoa whoa, you're not allowed to fact check Trump's lies, that makes you part of the establishment hell bent on truth!

[Parkbandit]

Can you just make a thread of "Things that upset ClydeR's sensitivities" and keep all your retarded posts there so years from now an enterprising young psychology student can write their masters paper on all your mental issues?

Thanks!

[ClydeR]

Can you just make a thread of "Things that upset ClydeR's sensitivities" and keep all your retarded posts there so years from now an enterprising young psychology student can write their masters paper on all your mental issues?

There is a difference between sensitivity and justified indignation. When a President tries to deny soldiers the recognition to which they are entitled by law because the President does not want to admit that the made a mistake, then that is an instance when indignation is justified. Who could disagree? It's especially disturbing that Trump is repeating the same thoroughly debunked story four years later.

It would be like threatening to fire government weather forecasters unless they changed the projected path of a hurricane to match a misstatement by the President, so that the President would never be forced to admit a mistake.

[Parkbandit]

There is a difference between sensitivity and justified indignation. When a President tries to deny soldiers the recognition to which they are entitled by law because the President does not want to admit that the made a mistake, then that is an instance when indignation is justified. Who could disagree? It's especially disturbing that Trump is repeating the same thoroughly debunked story four years later.

It would be like threatening to fire government weather forecasters unless they changed the projected path of a hurricane to match a misstatement by the President, so that the President would never be forced to admit a mistake.

Just make the thread and keep your mental illness contained there.

Don't do it for you (even though it'll be much easier on your delicate nature) but do it for future generations to read and review.

[Methais]

Can you just make a thread of "Things that upset ClydeR's sensitivities" and keep all your retarded posts there so years from now an enterprising young psychology student can write their masters paper on all your mental issues?

Thanks!

Maybe he needs a thread created for him, much like Ashliana.

Just make the thread and keep your mental illness contained there.

Don't do it for you (even though it'll be much easier on your delicate nature) but do it for future generations to read and review.

[Suppressed Poet]

Maybe he needs a thread created for him, much like Ashliana.

Also in said thread, we need him to film & upload shorts of his outrage temper tantrums for our viewing entertainment. (PB’s idea which I second.)

[Parkbandit]

Also in said thread, we need him to film & upload shorts of his outrage temper tantrums for our viewing entertainment. (PB’s idea which I second.)

I always have the best ideas.

[ClydeR]

In a shameful chapter in US military's treatment of its members, the White House pressured the Pentagon not to award the injured troops any recognition that would contradict Trump's unfounded statement that no one was injured. Eventually, the Pentagon relented and recognized their sacrifice.

All of this to avoid admitting that he was wrong in 2020 when, relying on initial reports, he said no US soldiers were injured..

Donald Trump on Tuesday revived the controversy over his downplaying of brain injuries suffered by U.S. service members while he was president, again brushing off the potentially devastating condition as "a headache."

At a news conference after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel, the current Republican presidential nominee was asked by a reporter whether he regrets not being tougher on Tehran after Iran struck an air base in Iraq in 2020 and injured about 100 troops.

"What does 'injured' mean? Injured means because they had a headache because the bombs never hit the fort," Trump replied.

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[Methais]

A Thread For ClydeR