President Donald Trump has previously declared that North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat, touted the defeat of ISIS, doubted the effects of climate change and railed against the Iran nuclear deal as « defective at its core. »
The apparent gap between Trump and his own intelligence agencies has been a persistent theme over the last two years, and Tuesday’s testimony illustrates just how stark the divide is between what the President says and the information he is being presented.
ISIS
What Trump has said: On December 19, the President announced that US troops would withdraw from Syria. In making his announcement, Trump declared in a video released on Twitter: « We have won against ISIS. We’ve beaten them and we’ve beaten them badly. We’ve taken back the land and now it’s time for our troops to come back home. »
Since then, members of the Trump administration have repeatedly sought to downplay ISIS’ reach and impact in Syria.
Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo touted the gains the US and its partners have made in the fight against the terrorist organization.
« It should not go unnoticed that we’ve also defeated the ISIS caliphate in Syria and Iraq alongside more than six dozen nations in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, » Pompeo said in remarks to the World Economic Forum delivered via satellite.
Pompeo noted « there’s a lot more work to do, » but told those at the Davos, Switzerland, forum that « with your help I know we’ll achieve it. »
What intelligence officials said on Tuesday: « ISIS is intent on resurging and still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria, » Coats testified.
Despite repeated claims by the Trump administration, and the President himself, that ISIS has been defeated, US intelligence assesses that the terror group « very likely will continue to pursue external attacks from Iraq and Syria against regional and Western adversaries, including the United States, » Coats added.
The Worldwide Threat Assessment, released by Coats on Tuesday, also says that with the recent loss of territory, « ISIS will seek to exploit Sunni grievances, societal instability, and stretched security forces to regain territory in Iraq and Syria in the long term. »
Coats told members of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that ISIS « has returned to its guerrilla warfare roots while continuing to plot attacks and direct its supporters worldwide. »
But he also clearly stated that the group maintains a presence in Iraq and Syria.
North Korea
What Trump has said: On June 13, the President wrote on Twitter: « There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea. » The message came as he concluded a historic first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.
Since then, Trump has not repeated that claim. But he has said that negotiations with North Korea over ending its nuclear program are progressing well, and he has committed to meeting with Kim again at the end of February (though a date, location and agenda have not been revealed).
