Trump reportedly admitted impeachment played a big role in his Soleimani decision

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

published 10 January 2020

President Trump's decision to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani reportedly had some self-serving underpinnings.

The assassination and subsequent conflict with Iran has pushed Trump's looming impeachment trial out of the headlines and gathered him strong support from some GOP senators who've criticized him in the past. And as Trump associates tell The Wall Street Journal, that was precisely his intention.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have questioned just what intelligence went into the decision to kill Soleimani, and especially why it had to happen when it did. The administration has so far only mentioned some sort of "imminent threat" as justification. But "after the strike," Trump gave associates another explanation: "He was under pressure to deal with Gen. Soleimani from GOP senators he views as important supporters in his coming impeachment trial in the Senate," the Journal writes.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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