- White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham on Tuesday criticized Americans who doubt the underlying intelligence the Trump administration cites to support President Donald Trump's decision to order a drone strike against Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
- "I know a lot of people are now questioning the intel, that's really unfortunate," Grisham said during an interview on Fox News.
- Grisham's criticisms were notable, given Trump's own history of refusing to believe US intelligence findings and attacking members of the intelligence community.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham took to the airwaves on Tuesday to criticize those who have questioned the underlying intelligence the Trump administration has cited to support President Donald Trump's decision to order a drone strike that killed Iran's Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.
During an appearance on Fox News, Grisham said, "I know a lot of people are now questioning the intel, that's really unfortunate."
"A lot of people are saying [about the strike], 'To what benefit?'" she added. "I would answer that question: the benfit is to that we saved American lives, saved members of the military, we saved diplomats, and a lot of families from having to welcome their loved ones home in coffins."
Grisham's criticisms of Americans distrusting the intelligence community were notable, given Trump's own history of refusing to believe US intelligence findings.
Here's a brief, non-exhaustive list of times that Trump either attacked or expressed distrust in the US intelligence community (IC):
- During the 2016 election, he refused to accept that Russia hacked into the Democratic National Committee, even though the IC had determined as much. In fact, he believes a bogus conspiracy theory suggesting Ukraine, not Russia, broke into the DNC.
- He refused to accept that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, even though the IC found with high confidence that the Kremlin had ordered an interference campaign.
- He accused the FBI of "spying" on his campaign during the election. This conspiracy theory was debunked by both FBI Director Chris Wray and the Justice Department inspector general's report on the origins of the Russia probe.
- He lobbed countless attacks against senior FBI and Justice Department officials, including former FBI director James Comey, former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe, the DOJ official Bruce Ohr, former acting attorney general Sally Yates, former CIA director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and more.
- He compared the US intelligence community to Nazi Germany.
- During a high-stakes, bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in 2018, Trump sided with the Russian leader over the IC.
- "They said they think it's Russia," Trump said, referring to the IC. "I have - President Putin, he just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be."
- When the top intelligence and spy chiefs publicly contradicted the president on the biggest threats the US faces from Russia, Iran, North Korea, and the Islamic State, Trump said they were "wrong!" and that "intelligence should go back to school!"
Grisham did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Despite his long history of distrusting the US intelligence community, the president has relied heavily on its findings regarding Soleimani, which he and other senior administration officials say were evidence of an "imminent threat" against American lives.
But additional reporting from The New York Times' Rukmini Callimachi indicates that the underlying intelligence is "razor thin."
Callimachi reported that one source told her there wasn't evidence of an "imminent" attack on US interests that could kill hundreds, as the White House claims. "The official describes the reading of the intelligence as an illogical leap," she reported.
There's also no guarantee that removing Soleimani removes the threat posed by an "imminent" attack.
In the days since the Soleimani strike, both Iran and the US have ratcheted up their actions and rhetoric amid historically high tensions. Iran on Sunday withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and the US sent another 3,500 troops into Iraq after ordering Americans to evacuate the region following Soleimani's assassination.
Trump also ignited a firestorm when he tweeted on Saturday that he would target 52 Iranian cultural sites - which would constitute a war crime if carried out - if Iran retaliated for Soleimani's death.
Senior administration officials like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, among others, have refused to directly address Trump's comments but have said the US will act within the confines of international law.
On Tuesday, as questions swirled about how robust the intelligence supporting the Soleimani strike was, Defense Secretary Mark Esper was asked whether the Iranian attacks against US personnel were days or weeks away before Soleimani's death.
"I think it's more fair to say days, for sure," Esper said.