ABC News anchor San Donaldson says it's unlikely President Donald Trump's choice to target Iran's top commander was an attempt to distract from his impeachment trial.
“I don’t think he’s wagging the dog now,” Donaldson said during an appearance on CNN’s "Reliable Sources" on Sunday.
“If you wag the dog you have to do it in September, early October when the rally around the flag instinct is there for all Americans. You can’t wag it now, and then after several months of a dog bringing back body bags to this country and the people saying, ‘what are we doing this for,’ that won’t work.”
The veteran newsman was reacting to a question on whether Trump ordered Qassem Soleiman's killing last week to distract from his pending Senate impeachment trial, comparing it to criticism of President Bill Clinton in 1998 when he launched strikes on Osama Bin Laden in the midst of his own impeachment.
Donaldson said, instead, that Trump “is simply reacting to the fact that he can’t be seen, in his eyes, to be weak.”
He went on to say that this tactic “hasn't worked so far and it won’t with Iran,” noting that even after the harsh sanctions imposed on Iran, which have crippled their economy, the regime in Tehran has not given up.
“What we have to do is negotiate, what we have to do is de-escalate if we are going to avoid a full-spread war with body bags on both sides," Donaldson said. “We’ve got to try to start right this moment, and [Trump is] not going to do it,” because it won’t sit well with his base.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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