Trump had chance to kill al-Qaeda's leader, but didn't because of ignorance.

[Kid Berwyn]

Trump had the chance to kill al-Qaeda's leader but didn't because he didn't recognize the name, report says

* The al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by a US drone strike, Biden announced Monday.

* Then-President Trump had the option to kill al-Zawahiri, but chose not to, NBC reported in 2020.

* Trump wanted to kill Osama bin Laden's son instead because it was the only name he knew, NBC said.

by Sophia Ankel
Insider/Yahoo, August 2, 2022

Former President Donald Trump had the chance to kill the leader of al-Qaeda but didn't because he didn't recognize the terrorist leader's name, NBC News reported in 2020.

Snip…

But plans for al-Zawahiri's execution could have been carried out far earlier, according to an NBC News report published in February 2020.

Intelligence officials briefed Trump many times about senior terrorist figures the CIA wanted to track down and kill, specifically mentioning al-Zawahiri, NBC News reported.

But two people familiar with the briefings told NBC News that Trump chose not to pursue al-Zawahiri because he didn't recognize his name, and instead suggested targeting bin Laden's son, Hamza bin Laden.

"He would say, 'I've never heard of any of these people. What about Hamza bin Laden?'" one unnamed former official told NBC News.

A Pentagon official also told the news outlet: "That was the only name he knew."

Continues…

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-had-chance-kill-al-123256147.html

Very good brain doesn’t equate with very good judgment.

[Ocelot II]

1. He never heard of al-Zawahiri?

[Rebl2]

7. How as

president did he not know that name

[Kid Berwyn]

12. Unstable Moron couldn't tell John Bolton from Michael Bolton.

The guy kept calling John Bolton, his national security advisor, "Michael Bolton" for some reason.



From Inside Edition:

The FBI dossier states that Maples’ former publicist, Chuck Jones, testified in court that she “had bought singer Michael Bolton back to her room following Trump's departure for a West Coast trip.”

https://www.insideedition.com/did-marla-maples-cheat-donald-trump-michael-bolton-51740

[Irish_Dem]

2. Trump was too lazy, ignorant and self-aggrandizing to do the job of POTUS.

His focus was never about the interests of the US or the American people.

It was always about himself, his wealth and feeling important.

[Kid Berwyn]

13. Amazingly, Republicans don't care.

“We don’t need someone who can think. We need someone with enough digits to hold a pen.” — Grover Norquist

[Irish_Dem]

18. Of course they don't. The GOP goal is permanent power and cast wealth.

They install useful idiots.

Putin wants to make US democracy look foolish and stupid. So it is easy to spot the puppets he has installed.

[zuul]

3. Makes me wonder if someone paid TFG to not kill al-Zawahiri.

That would be totally on-brand for that mobbed-up, lying crook.

[Rebl2]

8. Wouldn't put

it past him

[Kid Berwyn]

14. Someone might've called Jared.

Quid pro Crown.

Saudi Prince MBS’ $2 Billion Loan to Trump Son-in-Law Jared Kushner Raises Doubts about Risk and Legitimacy

By: John Mason / Arab America Contributing Writer
Arab America, MAY 11, 2022

Excerpt…

The bottom line may be that, as Kushner served ex-president Trump, he purposely established a personal relationship, perhaps a friendship, with the Saudi Crown Prince. Through that, the Prince indicated that he wanted closer links between Israel and Arab Gulf State leaders. Considering Kushner’s modern Orthodox Jewish background, this relationship was natural, linking rich Arab countries with the capitalist spirit of Israel. From that emerged the so-called Abraham Accords, which opened diplomatic relations between Israel and other Arab monarchies.

While this story is bigger, more nuanced, and detailed than we have time to present here, we do need to point out that, while most Arab countries avoided recognition of Israel because of its occupation of the Palestinians, under these new accords, money seemed to outweigh any interest in defending the Palestinians. This was the cynical ploy of the Trump administration, which also resulted in the sweetheart deal between the Prince and Kushner.

Snip…

“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours,” MBS’ loan to Kushner involved plenty of intrigue
In a speculative opinion in Vicky Ward Investigates, investigative reporter Ward suggests that the “real” reason Kushner was given the loan was linked to a foreign policy matter. She reports, “the money was possibly both an IOU for sympathetic foreign policy led by Kushner during the Trump years and also a bet by MBS on a return to the White House by Kushner’s father-in-law, Donald Trump.”

Now, it seems, Kushner’s personal relationship with Crown Prince MBS may have been at the root of the CIA’s denial of a top-secret clearance for the ex-president’s son-in-law. Ward’s story goes that it was Kushner and his allies in government who blocked top-level U.S. government support of the then Crown Prince, a cousin of MBS. Former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef was purportedly a “long-time intelligence and counter-terrorism asset for the U.S.” Bin Nayef had attempted a legal coup in 2017 in an endeavor at regime change.

Such a coup would have ousted both King Salman and then-deputy crown prince MBS. Ward’s sources told her, “it was Kushner and his allies in the White House who got word to MBS of bin Nayef’s plans, and the plot was abruptly stopped.” Kushner’s presumed role in thwarting this coup is what drove U.S. intelligence officials “to go apoplectic,” thus initially preventing him from getting his top-level clearance.

The theory is, then, that the sizeable loan to Kushner by MBS was a “payoff” for moving bin Nayef out of the picture. Bin Nayef is under house arrest and hasn’t been seen in public for three years. The ousted prince did manage to communicate that he believed MBS had arranged a partnership, presumably with Kushner, to oust him from his place as the successor to King Salman. The U.S. apparently did not act on bin Nayef’s communication, allowing MBS to depose and replace him one month later.

Continues…

https://www.arabamerica.com/saudi-prince-mbs-2-billion-loan-to-trump-son-in-law-jared-kushner-raises-doubts-about-risk-and-legitimacy/

[no_hypocrisy]

4. I would have imagined just the opposite, that would have been a priority for Trump,

if for anything else, to "top" Obama assassinating bin-Laden while Obama was mocking him at the WH Correspondents' Dinner.

[Kid Berwyn]

15. Good point. It may seem like Dimdonnie only remembers amounts...

…in U.S. dollars and the names of those who hurt him.



The Twilight Zone, Donald Trump and the Awful Power of a Boy-God

Nathan Rabin
The Big Whoop, Nov. 19, 2020

Excerpt...

Because Trump cannot bear criticism any more than little Anthony could, Trump’s cultists have been forced to pretend that the President’s tantrums and personal grudges and vicious personal attacks were good.

When, for example, Trump tweeted, “So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!” his supporters had no choice to say that it was good, very good that Donald Trump was telling women of color who don’t agree with him to essentially go back to Africa because he was valiantly defending the American way of life from the scourge of Socialism and not an appalling display of racism, sexism and Islamophobia.

Snip...

Take Jeff Sessions. One of Trump’s very first big-time supporters, he displeased the boy King by recusing himself from the investigation into Trump’s activities in Russia to avoid a fairly glaring and obvious conflict of interest.

Trump felt strongly that Sessions should have spearheaded the investigation so that it would result in instant, full exoneration of Trump and death sentences for treason for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.

Continues...

https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2020/11/19/the-twilight-zone-donald-trump-and-the-awful-power-of-a-boy-god

Wonder what he did and to whom we don’t know about.

[gab13by13]

5. They could have come up with a better lie,

Trump didn't kill him because Putin told him not to, there, I fixed it.

[Kid Berwyn]

17. Certainly understandable. Putin's a fellow Dimdonnie fears.

Lookit this “Boss Face”



Does he light up like that for Melania?

[Probatim]

6. And at no point did someone explain who al-Zawahiri was?

Imagine working for this guy - ffs he had to be the most aggravating person to ever hold office. Anywhere.

[lastlib]

9. ever try to drive a nail into a brick? Same principle--

wouldn't penetrate.

He only wanted to go after a bin Laden to put himself on a par with Obama (or, to his base, ahead of O). Too ignorant to grasp the value of a Zawahiri.

[Kid Berwyn]

20. That and priorities.

The bastard came thisclose to overthrowing our democracy.

More than a few of his closest minions did all they could to keep him from doing even more damage to America, removing documents from his desk, revealing he’d spoken in secret with Putin, etc etc etc.

Justice, Science and History are on the case. From Global Political Review:

LEADERSHIP, IDIOSYNCRASIES, AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR:

PERSONALITY ANALYSES OF PRESIDENTS DONALD TRUMP AND ANDREW JACKSON

ABSTRACT

How do leaders' idiosyncrasies are developed, and how do these, in turn, impact their political behaviour? This study traces the idiosyncratic behaviour of Presidents Andrew Jackson and Donald Trump. It details four historical traditions - Hamiltonian, Wilsonian, Jeffersonian, and Jacksonian. The study expands upon Jacksonian tradition and sees that how Trump pursued this tradition and how is his political behaviour remained similar to that of Andrew Jackson. Three specific areas in which these variables are determined are personal lives, narcissism and authoritarian behaviour, and populism and corruption. The paper also charts out the ways and means through which Donald Trump's administration is termed as Jacksonian in nature.

https://gprjournal.com/article/leadership-idiosyncrasies-and-political-behaviour-personality-analyses-of-presidents-donald-trump-and-andrew-jackson

It’s Me Myself I The Donald Unstable Moron Dimdonnie the Demented Despot vs. GPR’s “Empowering Humanity.”

[Alexander Of Assyria]

10. A national leader casually going through list of extra- judicial executions like a menu card?!

No one else see a problem with this…as in ANY national leader can be justified in doing this to anyone else in the world?

Alternative? Arrest, charge, trial and sentence…isn’t that the definition of justice? Or I miss something?

[W_HAMILTON]

21. And exactly who is going to arrest him?

The Taliban, which was providing safe harbor for the man thus breaking an agreement it had with the United States not to allow Al Qaeda fighters to reestablish themselves in that country?

[Alexander Of Assyria]

22. America can't send in a world police squad to anywhere they want and do an arrest?

Don’t need the help of the sovereign nation, or permission, as we have just witnessed!…as so many times in the past.
The American world police has 800$ billion a year in funding…no one ever has called for defunding the American world police force! They can do it!

[W_HAMILTON]

23. And we didn't step foot in the country to do it.

What you are advocating for -- the deployment of U.S. forces inside Afghanistan to """arrest""" the man -- would have far worse consequences and potential dangers than simply taking him out the way that Biden ordered.

If al-Zawahiri wanted to go through our judicial process, he could have shown up to defend himself when he was indicted for his crimes; he did not, and instead confessed to targeting and killing innocent civilians. Our intelligence services also corroborated his involvement in all these terrorist attacks.

He confessed to it and our intelligence agencies concurred that he did it -- that's good enough for me and the vast, vast, VAST majority of Americans. Good riddance and may be rot in hell.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

25. So many criminals don't show up for their trial, especially going to another country!

Especially before seeing the indictment!

Indict, arrest, try, sentence and execute! It can be done. America has the power, not the will power.

Yes, deploy an arrest force! Not like violation of national sovereignty has ever been a concern! Especially Afghanistan!??

[Johnny2X2X]

16. If Republicans

If Republicans got word that Russia was going to Nuke California, Oregon, and Washington state, their first call would be to their political statisticians who could do the math for the new electoral college without those 3 states in it and if it worked in their favor, they'd let it happen.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

19. K&R

[MurrayDelph]

24. I don't think it's that he never heard of the others

I think he wanted a name he could pronounce easily when he got on the air to gloat over it afterwards.

[EnergizedLib]

26. Just the latest exhibit

That this moron had no business being anywhere near our White House. If you’re not informed, if you’re not educated on the issues, you have no business running our country.

We’re not talking about a some obscure member of the organization. This is somebody people have known for at least two decades.

[msfiddlestix]

27. K/R and Bookmarked

[lpbk2713]

28. This is the clown that said he knew "more than his generals".

We were in bad shape.