I hate the “imagine if Joe Biden did this” trope, but Jesus H. Christ, imagine if Joe Biden did this!
President Donald Trump never told Congress about a disastrous 2019 intelligence mission targeting North Korea that turned deadly, The New York Times reported Friday.
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In 2018, SEAL Team 6 was charged with planting an electronic device that could intercept communications from the reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, amid high-level talks between the United States and North Korea. In early 2019, the SEALs set out toward North Korea in a nuclear submarine, and Trump gave the final go-ahead to proceed with the mission.
After breaking off in mini-submarines and swimming to shore, the SEALs spotted a North Korean vessel close to the mini-subs. Unsure whether they’d been spotted, the SEALs opened fire, killing everyone on board.
Upon inspection the SEALs found no weapons or uniforms on the boat, and determined that the two or three North Korean crew members had been civilians diving for shellfish, according to officials briefed on the mission. The bodies were pulled into the water, the mission was aborted, and the SEALs escaped unharmed.
A classified military review found that the killing of civilians was justified under the rules of engagement, but the Trump administration never told congressional committees overseeing military and intelligence about the operation, or the military review.
The Biden administration eventually told Congress. I’m fairly sure that if the shoe had been on the other foot, Trump would have made it public. It was a massive fuck-up that could have resulted in disaster. Kim Jong Un is nuts, although I’m not sure anymore if he’s any crazier than Trump.
It sure makes you wonder about that boat they just blew out of the water, doesn’t it?