Posted on 01/07/2020 8:42:39 AM PST by yesthatjallen
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo clashed with NBC anchor Andrea Mitchell at a Tuesday press briefing over President Trump's threats to attack cultural sites in Iran.
Trump over the weekend said the U.S. was prepared to hit cultural sites on Iran if Tehran strikes American personnel or sites in response to the targeted killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.
Legal experts have said hitting cultural sites would amount to a war crime and Defense Secretary Mike Esper on Monday indicated such actions were not on the table, telling reporters that the Pentagon would “follow the laws of armed conflict.”
Mitchell questioned whether Pompeo would also push back on the president’s directive.
“You’re not really wondering Andrea, you’re not really wondering,” Pompeo snapped back, defending that military action plans are legally vetted before being presented to the president and insisting there was no daylight between he and Trump.
“I was unambiguous on Sunday,” the secretary continued, “It is completely consistent with what the president has said, every action we take will be consistent with international law and the American people can rest assured that that’s the case.”
SNIP
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Which makes them legitimate targets within the laws of armed conflict. No different from a church steeple used by a sniper which would otherwise be off limits.
How can we be consistent in obeying international law and target “cultural sites?” Probably because there are military installations hidden underneath a number of mosques. The President is just telling the Iranian government we know about it.
MSM Minion Mitchell, Narrative Engineer.
Just like CNN ‘correspondent’ Laura Jarrett, ValJar’s daughter.
Nice to see Pompeo ridicule her.
Among thing “important to their culture” are: murdering homos, repressing women, having sex with young boys and goats, murdering anyone they don’t like, suicide belts, crappy rockets, murdering dissidents and so forth. What a “great” culture.
NBC is the most anti trump network. Comcast should be broken up into tiny pieces
You need to go back to the Conspiracy Network.
So I take it you think Gina Haspel was a fine hand-picked replacement at the CIA?
Do you have any clue what she was doing in 2016 when the whole Russiagate case was being manufactured, including with operatives in the UK?
Or maybe you have no clue at all and just toss out insults mindlessly.
I’m not sure but I think the “war crime” is using them for such military purposes in the first place?
Iggie and his twin!
Correct - but once they have been co-opted then responding to the threat is allowed.
While that would be illegal by the conventions on Iran’s part, the president has not said that he would strike cultural sites.
He said he would strike sites important to the culture.
And he asked “Why” he couldn’t strike cultural sites...which gets to your point.
So you think Pompeo is the same as the permanent cia Director haspel?
They Are two different people. Now if you have some evidence against Pompeo why don’t you share it? Otherwise your opinion is unsupported nonsense.
No reason to be snotty if you don’t know what you’re talking about. She is a known protege of Brennan and was Pompeo’s choice.
Read this and weep:
THE WEEKLY STANDARD EDITORIAL BOARD: If Not Haspel, Who?
“… [T]he [P]resident chose an accomplished and well-liked intelligence professional to head the CIA. The choice was made at the behest of former CIA director Mike Pompeo. Michael Hayden, former head of both the CIA and the National Security Agency under George W. Bush, applauds the choice. So does James Clapper, former director of national intelligence under Barack Obama. So does John Brennan, CIA director under Obama and a fierce critic of the current president.”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/gina-haspel-best-choice-cia-director/
Exactly
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