President Donald Trump did not brief Congress prior to ordering the assassination of Iranian General Qassim Suleimani. But Mar-a-Lago members had a head's up, according to a new report.
"In the five days prior to launching a strike that killed Iran’s most important military leader, Donald Trump roamed the halls of Mar-a-Lago, his private resort in Florida, and started dropping hints to close associates and club-goers that something huge was coming," The Daily Beast reported Friday.
"According to three people who’ve been at the president’s Palm Beach club over the past several days, Trump began telling friends and allies hanging at his perennial vacation getaway that he was working on a 'big' response to the Iranian regime that they would be hearing or reading about very “soon.” Two of these sources tell The Daily Beast that the president specifically mentioned he’d been in close contact with his top national-security and military advisers on gaming out options for an aggressive action that could quickly materialize," The Beast reported.
“He kept saying, ‘You’ll see,’” one of the sources said.
Israel was also reportedly briefed before the assassination.
"Those Mar-a-Lago guests received more warning about Thursday’s attack than Senate staff did, and about as much clarity. A classified briefing on Friday, the first the administration gave to the Hill, featured broad claims about what the Iranians were planning and little evidence of planning to bring about the 'de-escalation' the administration says it wants," The Beast noted.