Officials say they weren't that surprised Trump publicly revealed highly sensitive details about Baghdadi raid
President Trump went into great detail describing what happened during the raid that led to the demise of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but some current and former U.S. officials told NBC News they were wincing as he spoke.
Trump discussed the "K-9, as they call it, I call it a dog" that went after Baghdadi and was injured when he detonated a suicide vest, and revealed that "highly sensitive material and information" was seized from Baghdadi's compound. Not everything was accurate though, the officials said. For instance, Trump declared that Baghdadi was "crying and screaming" while being chased by U.S. forces, but officials told NBC News they didn't hear any such sounds.
Trump's bombastic statements didn't shock one official, who told NBC News: "He has no filter. But also if he knows something, and he thinks it's going to be good to say or make him appear smarter or stronger, he'll just blurt it out."
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There are concerns that Trump, by revealing both highly classified and sensitive information, tipped off terrorist groups, giving them valuable insight into how the U.S. gathers intelligence. By saying that the U.S. now has documents outlining ISIS's plans for the future, it makes it harder for the military to carry out operations against militants, the officials said. Trump talked about how the helicopters landed at Baghdadi's compound, that the U.S. knew there were dead-end tunnels underground, and that there was a robot on hand to assist the special forces — tactical information that terrorist groups shouldn't know. Read more at NBC News.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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