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Mulvaney Wasn’t Told About Baghdadi Operation Until After It Started, Says Report

NBC News reports the White House chief of staff was at his home in South Carolina when Trump publicly acknowledged the operation on Twitter.

Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney reportedly had no idea there was going to be a U.S. military raid against ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and was only briefed on it long after it had started. NBC News reports Mulvaney was at his home in South Carolina on Saturday when President Trump cryptically tweeted: “Something very big has just happened!” The network reports that Mulvaney wasn’t told about the historic raid until it was already underway. The chief of staff would normally be central to such a massive operation. For example, Bill Daley, who was White House chief of staff during the raid on Osama bin Laden, was seated next to then-President Obama as they watched it unfold. A White House official told NBC News that Mulvaney’s absence was because the “operation began very quickly, and while he was not able to get to a secure location in time to participate, he was briefed on its success upon conclusion.”