From: Huffington Post

 

Trump Tied Soleimani Hit To Support From GOP Hawks Ahead Of Impeachment Trial: Reports

New motivation emerges after contradictory Trump administration accounts of “imminent” threats justifying airstrike assassination.

The Times reported Saturday that as Trump discussed the Soleimani strike at Mar-a-Lago, he told some associates that he wanted to safeguard the support of Senate GOP hawks in the upcoming impeachment trial. He specifically named Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, according to the Times.

Trump also tipped off another hawk, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), about the attack when Graham visited Mar-a-Lago, the senator himself revealed. Yet Trump did not warn other congressional leaders, nor European allies or Persian Gulf partners, noted the Times.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that after the attack, Trump told associates that he was under pressure to deal with Soleimani from GOP senators he considered important in his impeachment trial, according to sources.

The new information comes amid continued fallout from Congress about a lack of transparency from the Trump administration concerning the justification for killing Soleimani, which would determine if the strike was legal. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) bashed the sketchy Senate briefing on the attack Wednesday as “insulting and demeaning.” 

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