WASHINGTON — When the White House issued a statement Monday evening
threatening to exact "a heavy price" in response to a potential chemical
attack by the Syrian government, senior national security officials
were caught off guard.
White House officials say there were
consultations, but key officials who help make Middle East policy at the
Pentagon and the State Department had no idea the statement was coming,
multiple U.S. officials told NBC News. Many of them knew about the
intelligence suggesting possible preparations for a chemical attack, but they weren't aware the White House was going to issue a public threat of military action — a major step.
The disconnect underscores the extent to which
President Donald Trump is making foreign policy on the fly, with little
regard for the opinions of the diplomatic and military establishments,
and with a freewheeling style that couldn't be more different from the
lawyerly approach of the Obama team, current and former U.S. officials
told NBC News.
Click here for the full article.
No comments:
Post a Comment