House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday criticized the White House for not briefing congressional leaders in advance of the operation that killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, pointing out that President Donald Trump had informed Russia about the raid, The Washington Post reported.
Pelosi's remarks came after Trump told reporters at a news conference that he did not tell the House speaker of the raid because he “wanted to make sure this kept secret.”
The president added that he considered notifying congressional leaders, which is the typical protocol in these type of situations, "but we decided not to do that, because Washington leaks like I’ve never seen before.”
Trump did not provide any evidence for his insinuation that Pelosi would have leaked details of the operation. She was a member of the House Intelligence Committee for more than 20 years and has not been known to reveal sensitive information.
Pelosi said that “The House must be briefed on this raid, which the Russians but not top congressional leadership were notified of in advance, and on the administration’s overall strategy in the region. Our military and allies deserve strong, smart and strategic leadership from Washington.”
Others in the Democratic Party leadership, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, said that they also were not informed of the raid ahead of time, with Schumer adding that "I look forward to receiving a briefing about this raid and the plan to deal with the escaped ISIS prisoners," CNN reported.
Trump said that Moscow was informed of the mission because American forces were going to fly over aread controlled by Russia, according to the Post.
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