House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to immediately take a phone call from Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday evening notifying her that Iran had launched missile attacks against at least two U.S. military bases in Iraq.
“Tell him I’ll call him back,” Pelosi said to an aide who handed her a note that the vice president was calling her during a meeting, opting to not immediately take the phone call as U.S. bases in Iraq were under attack and instead call the vice president back.
Pelosi was in a meeting, according to Politico’s Heather Caygle, and was set to open the U.S. House for a new session moments later.
In meeting tonight Speaker Pelosi was handed a note telling her VP Pence was on the phone.
“Tell him I’ll call him back,” she said according to sources in room, noting she had to go open the House for new session.
Two minutes later, she was handed note about air base bombing.
— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) January 7, 2020
On Capitol Hill, Nancy Pelosi was handed a note about the attack while she was speaking at a meeting, according to lawmakers inside the room.
Pelosi then left the room and took a call from VP Mike Pence, who briefed her on the Iranian attack 📷: Gettyhttps://t.co/IXnOjk4svY pic.twitter.com/3LW65XLgXW
— POLITICO (@politico) January 8, 2020
Pelosi did eventually call the vice president back at 6:34 p.m., Caygle noted in a follow-up tweet citing Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill on the record:
Pelosi called Pence back at 6:34 pm and he briefed her on Iranian attack, per @Drew_Hammill
— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) January 7, 2020
Others in media also reported that Pelosi did not initially take Pence’s call:
The Speaker’s Office indicates that Pelosi called back Vice President pence just after 6:30 pm et to brief her on the attack by the Iranians
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 8, 2020
Later, Pelosi herself tweeted about the attacks from Iran:
Closely monitoring the situation following bombings targeting U.S. troops in Iraq. We must ensure the safety of our servicemembers, including ending needless provocations from the Administration and demanding that Iran cease its violence. America & world cannot afford war.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 8, 2020
Iran launched a dozen ballistic missile attacks against at least two U.S. military bases in Iraq on Tuesday evening. At this time, it is unclear if there were any casualties and what the extent of damage is.
The Iranian attacks came in response to President Donald Trump’s ordering last week of an airstrike that killed Iranian Quds Force Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani, a terrorist responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, was one of Iran’s most senior officials for years. His work, including the development and implementation of IEDs or Improvised Explosive Devices against U.S. forces in Iraq for the past decade-plus, has claimed hundreds of American lives and injured thousands more.
Trump ordered the strike on Soleimani, which has escalated already-heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran, because of Soleimani’s role in an attack on the U.S. embassy in Iraq as well as the death of an American contractor in Iraq. The strike hit Soleimani at the Baghdad airport.
These ballistic missile strikes on U.S. installations in Iraq, Iran said, are meant to be considered the official Iranian response to the Soleimani strike.
President Trump late Tuesday night tweeted that he will have a statement on the Iranian response to the Soleimani strike on Wednesday morning:
All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2020
It remains to be seen what happens next on this front.
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