While Democrats have criticized President Trump for authorizing the airstrike that killed Iranian terrorist Qassem Soleimani, former President Obama’s national security adviser Retired Marine General Jim Jones praised the move.
During an Atlantic Council event on Sunday, Jones viewed the decision to take out Soleimani as being “absolutely correct.”
“I think what the administration did in the Soleimani case is absolutely correct,” Jones said. “I think it’s the right thing to do.”
Obama’s national security adviser, James L. Jones, says Trump was “absolutely correct” to kill Soleimani.
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 14, 2020
“I give him credit for that, it was the right thing to do … it’s a potential game changer." pic.twitter.com/5Z7xVymQJh
A reporter then asked if he wished the targeted strike had been carried out during his time in government.
“Well, I think we were doing it in the sense that we were really looking hard for Osama bin Laden,” Jones replied. “While I was in the White House, we found the house that he was in and took another year to be pretty sure that he was there. So, I think the Obama administration tried to find the terrorist that was the most wanted guy in the world.”
“Soleimani is now the next guy, so I give [Trump] credit for doing that, and I think it was the right thing to do, and I think it’s, as articulated by the president, it’s a potential game-changer,” Jones continued. “I would not let up. I would not let up.”
He also urged the president to dismiss critics who believe appeasement would be a wiser route to take with Iran.
“And I would not listen to the appeasers of the world who kind of want to calm the waves and [who say] let’s get back to normal business, and then you have Iran using its proxies to spread terror around the world, interdict shipping, shoot down drones, and things like that,” Jones said. “Those days I think are over, and I hope Iran understands that.”