Far-left conspiracy network MSNBC promoted a new conspiracy theory on Monday, tying President Donald Trump’s decision to kill Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) commander Qassem Soleimani to testimony that Democrats want in Trump’s Senate impeachment trial.
Trump authorized a drone strike on Solemani, who was a terrorist responsible for murdering hundreds of American soldiers, as he was leaving Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020, in response to Soleimani’s involvement in an Iranian terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Former national security adviser John Bolton responded at the time by writing, “Congratulations to all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani. Long in the making, this was a decisive blow against Iran’s malign Quds Force activities worldwide. Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran.”
On Monday, far-left MSNBC opinion host Lawrence O’Donnell suggested without evidence that Trump may have authorized Soleimani’s killing in an effort to dissuade Bolton from testifying against him in the Senate.
O’Donnell suggested that the proof of his unfounded conspiracy theory was the timing of events, saying that the White House received a manuscript of Bolton’s book, which alleges that Trump withheld financial assistance from Ukraine until the country would announce an investigation into the Bidens, two days before the strike took out Soleimani.
“John Bolton is an extreme hawk on Iran,” O’Donnell wrote. “2 days after Bolton submitted his manuscript to the White House, Trump killed Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani. Coincidence? Or was Trump trying to influence Bolton not to testify to the Senate?”
O’Donnell’s conspiracy theory is completely false as Trump authorized the military to be able to kill Soleimani seven months ago, which not only predates Democrats’ entire partisan impeachment, but also predates Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky which was the catalyst for Democrats’ partisan impeachment.
I guess one good thing about this impeachment hearing is that it will hopefully go late so I don't have to listen to conspiracy theories like this tonight. pic.twitter.com/aoOZrDTau3
— Cameron Cawthorne (@Cam_Cawthorne) January 28, 2020