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.
Trump also faced some criticism for thanking Russia first, when listing off the countries or other allies, such as the Kurds, who aided the U.S. in some way en route to the mission's completion.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
Others just didn't love how the president spoke so brazenly about the military operation, in which he described Baghdadi as "whimpering and crying" before he "died like a dog." Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, told Jake Tapper during an appearance Sunday on CNN's State of the Union that he was "a little uncomfortable" with Trump's description, though he did say "there's a value" in making Baghdadi look "less inspirational" to potential followers.
-
Rothermere’s Telegraph takeover: ‘a right-leaning media powerhouse’Talking Point Deal gives Daily Mail and General Trust more than 50% of circulation in the UK newspaper market
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
Crossword: November 30, 2025The daily crossword from The Week
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
