Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Press Briefing by Mike Pompeo and Steven Mnuchin on Iran Sanctions: January 10, 2020
PRESS BRIEFINGS
Press Briefing by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin on Iran Sanctions
FOREIGN POLICY
Issued on: January 10, 2020
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
10:27 A.M. EST
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Good morning, everybody. Thank you for being here today. I’d just like to make a brief comment before we talk about Iran sanctions. I’m sure everybody saw that the DOW hit 29,000. The President’s economic plans are clearly working. We’re looking forward to the China signing, USMCA, and a very strong economy this year.
{snip}
With that, we’ll take just a few questions.
Yes, ma’am.
Q Mr. Secretary, the administration said this strike was based on an imminent threat, but this morning you said we didn’t know precisely when and we didn’t know precisely where. That’s not the definition of “imminent.” The President has also suggested that there was some sort of attack being planned against an embassy, perhaps several embassies.
Can you clarify? Did you have specific information about an imminent threat, and did it have anything to do with our embassies?
SECRETARY POMPEO: We had specific information on an imminent threat, and those threats included attacks on U.S. embassies. Period. Full stop.
Q So you were mistaken when you said you didn’t know precisely when and you didn’t know precisely where?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Nope. Completely true. Those are completely consistent thoughts. I don’t know exactly which minute. We don’t know exactly which day it would’ve been executed. But it was very clear: Qasem Soleimani himself was plotting a broad, large-scale attack against American interests. And those attacks were imminent.
Q Against an embassy?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Against American facilities, including American embassies, military bases. American facilities throughout the region.
Q Mr. Secretary —
{snip}
Q Secretary Pompeo, what is your definition of “imminent”?
SECRETARY POMPEO: This was going to happen, and American lives were at risk. And we would have been culpably negligent. As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, we would have been culpably negligent had we not recommended to the President that he take this action at Qasem Soleimani. He made the right call, and America is safer as a result of that.
Q But then why has there been these — Secretary Pompeo, why have there been these shifting definitions —
(Cross-talk.)
Q Thank you. Thank you, sir.
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Go — go ahead. We’re going to —
Q — shifting explanations of the intelligence?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: We’re going to try to do one question for everybody, just —
Q Were they trying to hit Iranian troops — was Iran trying to hit our troops or not?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: — so that as many people can get questions. So I don’t mean to cut you off, but we’re trying to — go ahead.
Q I mean, let me defer to my colleague — but, sir, six months ago, Secretary Pompeo, the President said that U.S. intelligence agencies had been running amok. He spent most of the past three years he’s been in office denigrating and attacking the intelligence community and disputing findings, whether it’s on Russia or North Korea, or really any area that contradicts things that he has said publicly.
Why then should Americans suddenly believe your assertions that you had good intelligence on this when the head of the Executive Branch has been casting aspersions on the intelligence community for most of his time in office?
{snip}
Q Secretary Pompeo, if I can — here, today, at the podium, you said that the imminent threat was a threat to U.S. embassies. You didn’t know precisely when or where. Last night, the President said it was a threat to embassies, including to our Baghdad embassy.
Why can you say that here, and the President could say it at a rally in Toledo, but no one said it to lawmakers behind closed doors in a classified setting, as multiple senators have since said?
SECRETARY POMPEO: We did.
Q You said —
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes.
Q So the senators are lying when they say that (inaudible) imminent threat was a threat?
SECRETARY POMPEO: We told them about the imminent threat. All of the intelligence that we’ve briefed, that you’ve heard today, I assure you, in an unclassified setting, we provide in the classified setting as well.
Q To be clear, you told them that embassies were the — were to be targeted? That was the imminent threat?
SECRETARY POMPEO: I’m not going to talk about the details of what we shared in a classified setting. But make no mistake about it: Those leaders, those members of Congress who want to go access this same intelligence, can see that very same intelligence that will reflect what I described to you and what the President said last night, as well.
Q Is that threat now gone with Soleimani gone?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Threats are never gone. Uh, right? It’s always — a lot of danger in the world.
{snip}
Press Briefing by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin on Iran Sanctions
FOREIGN POLICY
Issued on: January 10, 2020
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
10:27 A.M. EST
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Good morning, everybody. Thank you for being here today. I’d just like to make a brief comment before we talk about Iran sanctions. I’m sure everybody saw that the DOW hit 29,000. The President’s economic plans are clearly working. We’re looking forward to the China signing, USMCA, and a very strong economy this year.
{snip}
With that, we’ll take just a few questions.
Yes, ma’am.
Q Mr. Secretary, the administration said this strike was based on an imminent threat, but this morning you said we didn’t know precisely when and we didn’t know precisely where. That’s not the definition of “imminent.” The President has also suggested that there was some sort of attack being planned against an embassy, perhaps several embassies.
Can you clarify? Did you have specific information about an imminent threat, and did it have anything to do with our embassies?
SECRETARY POMPEO: We had specific information on an imminent threat, and those threats included attacks on U.S. embassies. Period. Full stop.
Q So you were mistaken when you said you didn’t know precisely when and you didn’t know precisely where?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Nope. Completely true. Those are completely consistent thoughts. I don’t know exactly which minute. We don’t know exactly which day it would’ve been executed. But it was very clear: Qasem Soleimani himself was plotting a broad, large-scale attack against American interests. And those attacks were imminent.
Q Against an embassy?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Against American facilities, including American embassies, military bases. American facilities throughout the region.
Q Mr. Secretary —
{snip}
Q Secretary Pompeo, what is your definition of “imminent”?
SECRETARY POMPEO: This was going to happen, and American lives were at risk. And we would have been culpably negligent. As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, we would have been culpably negligent had we not recommended to the President that he take this action at Qasem Soleimani. He made the right call, and America is safer as a result of that.
Q But then why has there been these — Secretary Pompeo, why have there been these shifting definitions —
(Cross-talk.)
Q Thank you. Thank you, sir.
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Go — go ahead. We’re going to —
Q — shifting explanations of the intelligence?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: We’re going to try to do one question for everybody, just —
Q Were they trying to hit Iranian troops — was Iran trying to hit our troops or not?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: — so that as many people can get questions. So I don’t mean to cut you off, but we’re trying to — go ahead.
Q I mean, let me defer to my colleague — but, sir, six months ago, Secretary Pompeo, the President said that U.S. intelligence agencies had been running amok. He spent most of the past three years he’s been in office denigrating and attacking the intelligence community and disputing findings, whether it’s on Russia or North Korea, or really any area that contradicts things that he has said publicly.
Why then should Americans suddenly believe your assertions that you had good intelligence on this when the head of the Executive Branch has been casting aspersions on the intelligence community for most of his time in office?
{snip}
Q Secretary Pompeo, if I can — here, today, at the podium, you said that the imminent threat was a threat to U.S. embassies. You didn’t know precisely when or where. Last night, the President said it was a threat to embassies, including to our Baghdad embassy.
Why can you say that here, and the President could say it at a rally in Toledo, but no one said it to lawmakers behind closed doors in a classified setting, as multiple senators have since said?
SECRETARY POMPEO: We did.
Q You said —
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes.
Q So the senators are lying when they say that (inaudible) imminent threat was a threat?
SECRETARY POMPEO: We told them about the imminent threat. All of the intelligence that we’ve briefed, that you’ve heard today, I assure you, in an unclassified setting, we provide in the classified setting as well.
Q To be clear, you told them that embassies were the — were to be targeted? That was the imminent threat?
SECRETARY POMPEO: I’m not going to talk about the details of what we shared in a classified setting. But make no mistake about it: Those leaders, those members of Congress who want to go access this same intelligence, can see that very same intelligence that will reflect what I described to you and what the President said last night, as well.
Q Is that threat now gone with Soleimani gone?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Threats are never gone. Uh, right? It’s always — a lot of danger in the world.
{snip}
Kevin M. Kruse Retweeted
The Secretary Of Defense DIDN'T see the intelligence.
Secretary of Defense didn't see the intelligence THAT HE IS PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR, that was the justification for military strikes THAT HE WAS PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR.
Let that sink in.
Link to tweet
Mark Esper on CBS: I didn't see the intelligence about Iran posing an imminent threat to 4 US embassies, but I believe President Trump when he says there was one
Link to tweet