Plenty of Democrats have said President Trump was unjustified in his wholly lawful killing of Qassem Soleimani, but only a select and special few have gone so far as to employ pro-Iranian propaganda while doing it. The most execrable corner of the Left has taken to branding the killing of Soleimani — orchestrated in a congressionally authorized war zone by troops lawfully present against an enemy commander — as an “assassination.” Moreover, they’re running cover for the former leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Bernie Sanders led the way, issuing not one iota of condemnation for Soleimani’s slaughters or barbarism.
.@BernieSanders statement on Qassim Suleimani’ death.
So far, the only DEM candidate to call it an “assassination” pic.twitter.com/iyHfFz8aC4
— Cara Korte (@CaraKorte) January 3, 2020
U.K. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn followed suit, expressing more concern for one of the world’s worst terrorists than he’s ever had for his own Jewish constituents:
I’ve written to Boris Johnson requesting an urgent Privy Council briefing and answers to questions following the US assassination of Qassem Suleimani. pic.twitter.com/kOw36b6Ex2
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 3, 2020
Ilhan Omar, who favors sanctioning Israel but has condemned sanctions against Iran as “economic warfare,” also deemed the deed an assassination with nary a word disdaining the IRCG:
We are outraged the president would assassinate a foreign official, possibly setting off another war without Congressional authorization and has zero plan to deal with the consequences.
But of course you know that. https://t.co/GzfdKilV4t
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 3, 2020
Plenty of Democrats and Republicans condemned Trump’s call for legitimate peacenik and flagrantly partisan reasons alike. But dissidents such as libertarian Justin Amash and liberal Pete Buttigieg managed to criticize Trump without ignoring the fact that Soleimani was a murderous maniac. Even more importantly, they didn’t pretend that an enemy combatant in an active war zone was a standard government official.
Anyone can disagree with what Trump did, why he did it, or whether the ramifications will justify it. But be careful to discern who does so while ignoring and thus endorsing the brutality sown during Soleimani’s reign of terror.
