[News] Bob Woodward reveals in his book "Anger": Trump insisted on killing Soleimani and stirred up his surroundings

[HiTLeR]

 

Two of President Donald Trump's top advisers desperately tried to stop him from assassinating Iran's highest-ranking military official, General Qassem Soleimani, in the days leading up to the strike on January 3, according to veteran journalist Bob Woodward's book "The Fury."

Insider got an early copy of the book, which is due for release next Tuesday. Woodward reported that on December 30, Trump told South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, "I am thinking of hitting Soleimani," the leader of the hardline Iranian paramilitary force that supports militants attacking US forces.

Trump and Graham were playing golf at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when Trump came up with the idea. "Hey, boy, that's a giant step!" Graham replied, apparently annoyed by Trump's suggestion, as it says in the book.

The South Carolina senator told Trump that if he orders the assassination of Soleimani, he will also have to plan what steps to take if Iran escalates the conflict.

"If they somehow retaliate, which they will, you have to be ready to get rid of the oil refineries," he said. But he added that if Trump did so, "it would be an almost complete war."

According to the book, Trump said of Soleimani: "He deserves it." "We have all this information that shows that Soleimani is planning attacks," he added.

Graham replied that Soleimani "had always done this." He added that Trump should think about his response and what Iran might do to respond, especially "with the approaching elections." "This risks a major war," Graham said.

Then Trump spoke about the Iranian-led missile strikes that killed a US contractor in Iraq on December 27. The day after Trump and Graham spoke, pro-Iranian militias stormed the US embassy in Baghdad. "We will not let them get away with this," the president said.

Graham still urges extreme caution, telling Trump: “Mr. President, this is overrated. What about hitting someone with a level lower than Soleimani, who would be easier for everyone to absorb? ”

It was a startling statement from Graham, one of the most hawkish members of Congress who has greatly urged more US military intervention in foreign lands.

Woodward stated that Graham wasn't the only one anxious. Also Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff at the time, submitted an "urgent application" to the South Carolina senator.

"You must find a way to stop this talk of hitting Soleimani," he said, pleading with Graham, "Maybe he'll listen." Four days later, Woodward wrote, Trump ordered the strike.

Despite Graham's unstated reservations about the strike, he publicly supported the president's decision. "This was a preemptive and defensive strike planned to eliminate the organizer of the attacks that had not yet come," Graham said during an interview with "Fox and Friends" on January 3. And at the expense of the region and throughout the region. The president has been informed of these potential attacks, and he has acted. ”

Although it was widely agreed that Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of American forces, Trump's decision was highly controversial. It was a move that Trump's direct predecessors, Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, avoided, knowing the consequences could be disastrous.