White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney was not informed of the military raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a new report says.
Mulvaney was at his home in South Carolina during the raid, according to NBC News. The report stated that Mulvaney was briefed on the raid later that night. (RELATED: John Kelly Says He ‘Probably’ Would Have Worked In A Clinton White House)
The report states:
The extraordinary move by Trump to leave his chief of staff out of the most significant U.S. military operation against the world’s most wanted terrorist since the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011 represents a major blow to Mulvaney, suggesting that he is increasingly sidelined inside the White House.
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
NBC’s report mentioned that former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley was seated next to former President Barack Obama while U.S. special forces raided Osama Bin Laden’s compound, and former President George W. Bush’s Chief of Staff Andy Card told NBC that he was “baffled” by Mulvaney’s exclusion. (RELATED: REPORT: The Obama Family Is Purchasing Massive Martha Vineyards Mansion)
Mulvaney came under fire earlier this month from some conservatives after he said at a press conference that “there’s going to be political influence in foreign policy,” referencing President Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that triggered allegations of a quid pro quo.
Fox News host Sean Hannity called Mulvaney’s comments “idiotic,” and questioned Mulvaney’s intelligence. Mulvaney later attempted to clarify his comments, and said that he never intended to say that there had been a quid pro quo between Trump and Zelensky.