In the immediate aftermath of the January 8th Iranian missile strike on US military bases in Iraq, President Trump took to Twitter and prematurely declared "All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties and damages taking place now. So far, so good!"
As is too often the case with Trump, the facts just don't fit the script. To date, 34 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries suffered in the attack. Half of those soldiers are still being treated in medical facilities in Germany and the U.S. Or as Trump blithely put it weeks after his initial proclamation, "I heard that they had headaches... I can report, it's not very serious."
Set aside the fact that Trump's initial announcement read more like a teenager's half-baked road trip update scribbled on the back of a postcard to ease a worried parent back home. Or that brain injuries aren't that serious according to Trump. The truly abhorrent take away here is that Trump gleefully tweeted baseless, best-case-scenario conclusions to the world (and to worried military families back home) without anything close to a complete military assessment of the situation.
U.S. service members defending American interests in Iraq were seriously injured by the retaliatory missile strike. Trump's desire to "get out in front of" the story for fear of losing control of the narrative is inexcusable. Downplaying casualties to avoid the consequences of his incoherent foreign policy is both deeply offensive and extremely troubling.
Demand Congress investigate President Trump for covering up severe injuries to American service members in the Iranian missile strike without delay.
