President Trump responded to the father calling for an investigation of his Navy SEAL son’s death in a Yemen military raid, with the president expressing sympathy for the service member’s family members but defending the mission as one “that began just before I got here.”
“This was some thing that they have been looking at for a long time carrying out,” Trump mentioned in an interview on “Fox & Friends” that aired this morning. “And according to Gen. [James] Mattis it was a extremely prosperous mission. They got tremendous amounts of information.”
“This was a mission that began ahead of I got here,” the president mentioned.
The January raid in Yemen resulted in the death of Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens, 36, and injuries to three other Navy SEALS. Fourteen militants were killed in the raid. U.S. Central Command also stated in early February that “civilian noncombatants most likely were killed,” which may well have incorporated youngsters.
Owens’ father, Bill, told the Miami Herald in a current interview that he did not want to meet Trump when the president attended Owens’ dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Feb. 1.
“I told them I didn’t want to make a scene about it, but my conscience wouldn’t let me speak to him,” Bill Owens told the Florida newspaper on Friday.
Owens also known as for an investigation into his son’s death and on top of that mentioned he was troubled by Trump’s treatment of the Khans, a Gold Star loved ones of a Muslim soldier killed in Iraq.
Trump stated Tuesday, “I was at the airport when the casket came in, the body came in and it was a really sad with the family and it’s a great household — remarkable wife and youngsters. I met most of the household,” Trump recalled in the Fox interview.
“And I can realize persons saying that. I would really feel — I would really feel, what is worse? There is nothing worse,” Trump said.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer mentioned during Monday’s press briefing that the administration continues to be “very comfortable” with the Yemen raid.
“We’re very comfortable with how the mission was executed and, you know, we’ll let the Department of Defense go by way of that critique procedure,” Spicer stated.
Spicer added there will be a 3-pronged investigation accomplished by the Division of Defense.
U.S. Central Command confirmed Sunday that what is called a 15-6 investigation into Owen’s death is underway, which is regular when a deployed U.S. military service member dies. U.S. Central Command is also conducting a review identified as a credibility assessment into civilian casualties for the duration of the raid.
The president in the Fox News interview on Tuesday went following Arizona Sen. John McCain for his criticism of the Yemen mission.
“I felt badly when a young man dies, and John McCain said that was a failed mission,” Trump stated. “I thought it was inappropriate that he goes to foreign soil and he criticizes our government.”
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