Chaos over U.S. troops in Iraq as Pentagon insists they WON’T withdraw despite general leading anti-ISIS coalition saying they’ll move ‘out of Iraq’ in draft letter released by mistake amid anger over attack that killed Qassem Soleimani
FTA:
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told reporters that the letter was ‘a draft. It was a mistake. It was unsigned. It should not have been released.’
The draft was ‘poorly worded’ and ‘implies withdrawal. That is not what’s happening,’ Milley declared.
The U.S. military had appeared to inform Baghdad that it was preparing for ‘movement out of Iraq,’ a day after the Iraqi parliament urged the government in a non-binding resolution to oust foreign troops.
The head of the Pentagon task force in Iraq, Brigadier General William Seely, sent a draft letter to the head of Iraq’s joint operations command.
‘Sir, in deference to the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, and as requested by the Iraqi Parliament and the Prime Minister, [the coalition] will be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement,’ Seely wrote. He added: ‘We respect your sovereign decision to order our departure.’
A Møøselim once bit my sister ... No realli!
The people responsible for preparing the Iraqi withdrawal letter, have just been sacked.
Senator Josh Hawley Introduces Formal Resolution to Toss “Bogus Impeachment” Against President Trump
FTA:
Title: Amending the Rules of Procedure and Practice in the Senate When Sitting on Impeachment Trials.
Resolved, That rule I of the Rules of Procedure and Practice in the Senate When Sitting on Impeachment Trials is amended to read as follows:
“I. Whensoever the Senate shall receive notice from the House of Representatives that managers are appointed on their part to conduct an impeachment against any person and are directed to carry articles of impeachment to the Senate, the Secretary of the Senate shall immediately inform the House of Representatives that the Senate is ready to receive the managers for the purpose of exhibiting such articles of impeachment, agreeably to such notice.
If, following adoption of such articles, the House of Representatives does not so notify the Senate or otherwise provide for such articles to be exhibited to the Senate within 25 calendar days from the date of adoption of such articles, as recorded in the Journal of the House of Representatives, such articles shall be deemed exhibited before the Senate and it shall be in order for any Senator to offer a motion to dismiss such articles with prejudice for failure by the House of Representatives to prosecute such articles. Such motion shall be adopted by an affirmative vote of a majority of the Senators, duly chosen and sworn, without debate by the yeas and nays, which shall be entered on the record.”
Perhaps this guy is the pot stirrer...
“Eric Chewning, the chief of staff to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, is resigning and will be leaving his post at the end of January, the Defense Department announced Monday.”
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3806042/posts
So was the leak by a swamper or was it a WH splash of cold water on the Iraqi government?