Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was spotted at the White House on Friday as President Donald Trump demanded “unconditional surrender” by Iran.
The timing of Rice’s visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue turned heads as she served as national security adviser to President George W. Bush and was a major proponent for the Iraq invasion in 2003, while claiming Iraq was lying about disarmament.
Rice went on to serve as Bush’s secretary of state from 2005 to 2009 throughout the ongoing Iraq War.
The former top Republican administration official has not served in the government for some time, but just Thursday, Rice appeared on Fox News, where she urged President Donald Trump to take care of Iran once and for all.
She also made some of the same arguments as the White House for “Operation Epic Fury” despite the death toll rising and the war escalating as Iran strikes countries throughout the region in retaliation for the U.S. attack.
“The most important thing is to recognize that Iran has been at war with us for at least 47 years, all the way from 1979,” Rice told Special Report with Bret Baier.
She insisted that to say the Iran regime is not a threat is “ahistorical” and said “they have been a threat for a long time.”
The former secretary of state noted that there is “uncertainty with any military operation and what the aftermath might be.”
While Rice acknowledged there are concerns about what comes next, she argued: “If you can render Iran essentially incapable of military action against us and against our allies, that’s worthy, and I think what they’re trying to do is to neuter Iran as a military power in the region.”
The former top Bush official did say she believes the question of making sure the administration does not unintentionally expand on the operation’s goals, or get “mission creep,” was important, but insisted taking care of Iran’s military capabilities is very important.
The very next day, Rice showed up at the White House. The former secretary of state was a participant on Friday at a roundtable on college sports with Trump.
After she left the Bush administration, Rice, a known sports enthusiast, went on to become one of the inaugural members of the College Football Playoff selection committee and is even a partial owner of the Denver Broncos.
During the event, the president praised her as a “champion of college athletics” and “really respected.” She could be seen seated at the table listening, but did not speak.
The Daily Beast asked the White House if Rice had any other meetings with Trump officials during her visit.
At the end of the roundtable, cameras captured her shaking hands with Trump and then exiting the room with him and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
