Trump chose ‘the most extreme’ action against Iran — after watching TV during Mar-a-Lago vacation: NYT

How President Donald Trump decided to assassinate Iranian General Qassim Suleimani in Iraq was the focus of a bombshell New York Times report published Saturday evening.

"In the chaotic days leading to the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran’s most powerful commander, top American military officials put the option of killing him — which they viewed as the most extreme response to recent Iranian-led violence in Iraq — on the menu they presented to President Trump," the newspaper reported.

"They didn’t think he would take it. In the wars waged since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Pentagon officials have often offered improbable options to presidents to make other possibilities appear more palatable," The Times noted.

Trump, however, choose the option anyway after watching TV at Mar-a-Lago, where he's been vacationing since December 20.

"After initially rejecting the Suleimani option on Dec. 28 and authorizing airstrikes on an Iranian-backed Shia militia group instead, a few days later Mr. Trump watched, fuming, as television reports showed Iranian-backed attacks on the American Embassy in Baghdad, according to Defense Department and administration officials," The Times reported. "By late Thursday, the president had gone for the extreme option. Top Pentagon officials were stunned."

The newspaper noted, "some officials voiced private skepticism about the rationale for a strike on General Suleimani, who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American troops over the years. According to one United States official, the new intelligence indicated 'a normal Monday in the Middle East' — Dec. 30 — and General Suleimani’s travels amounted to 'business as usual.'"