Trump criticized for not briefing congressional leadership, thanking Russia first, and vivid description of Baghdadi's death

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

U.S. lawmakers have responded positively to the military raid that resulted in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but that doesn't mean President Trump is getting off scot-free in their eyes.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) praised the "heroism" of the military effort, but was not pleased with the fact that Moscow — whose airspace U.S. forces reportedly flew through to reach Baghdadi's compound — was allegedly briefed on the raid and congressional leadership was not. Trump said the U.S. told Russia it was entering their airspace for an unspecified reason, although Moscow has since said they were unaware of the operation. Regardless, Pelosi argued she and other leaders of the House should have known what was going on much sooner.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.