.MaddowBlog: Endorsing apparent war crimes, Pres. Trump abandons all subtlety.
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump made little effort to hide his affinity for war crimes. As regular readers may recall, the Republican dismissed the Geneva Conventions as “out of date,” vowed to “take out” terrorists’ families, and when asked whether the United States would “chop off heads” of detainees under his administration’s approach, he wouldn’t answer directly.
For reasons I’ve never fully understood, it was around this time that some political observers concluded that Trump was the presidential candidate who could be trusted to show careful restraint on national security issues. The president tweeted that the number of targets matched the number of hostages held by Iran in 1979, when 52 American diplomats and citizens were held for 444 days.
Asked about this yesterday morning, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, “We’ll behave lawfully. We’ll behave inside the system.” The cabinet secretary added, “The American people should know that every target that we strike will be a lawful target.”In unscripted comments to reporters aboard Air Force One, the president said, in apparent reference to Iranians, “They’re allowed to kill our people. They’re allowed to torture and maim our people.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Readied Iran ballistic missiles were detected, prompting Trump tweet - Business InsiderThe New York Times reports Iranian ballistic missiles were being readied for unknown reasons after Soleimani's death, prompting a warning from Trump.
Read more »
Iranian minister brands Donald Trump a 'terrorist in a suit''Like ISIS, Like Hitler, Like Genghis! They all hate cultures. Trump is a 'terrorist in a suit,'' Iran's Information and Telecommunications Minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi wrote on Twitter.
Read more »
Trump had 'menu' for Iran strike but chose Soleimani - Business InsiderThe New York Times reported that Pentagon officials offered Trump options for dealing with tensions in Iran. Targeting Soleimani was the most extreme.
Read more »
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham wants to start Trump impeachment trial within daysLindsey Graham wants to start President Donald Trump's trial within days, even if it means the chamber proceeds without receiving articles of impeachment from the House of Representatives.
Read more »