Former acting and deputy CIA director Michael Morell appeared on CBS This Morning, on Friday. He told host Anthony Mason that the killing of top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani will be the cause American civilians’ deaths.
“Both former president George W. Bush and Obama reportedly rejected targeting Soleimani in the past, fearing that it could lead to war. But we heard the defense secretary say ‘the game has changed.’” Mason asked, “How significant is this radical shift in strategy?”
“So Anthony, here’s the balance,” Morell responded, “Qasem Soleimani was an evil genius, he had a lot of American blood on his hands. He was the mastermind behind Iranian malign behavior in the region. The world is a better place without him. The problem is that comes at a very high cost.”
“Number one, there will be dead Americans, dead civilian Americans, as a result of this — possibly over the next few days in any place where Iran has its proxies. Iraq is the most likely place but also Lebanon, Bahrain, other places in the Middle East,” he continued.
“Number two, this sets a precedent, Anthony, that senior officials are fair game in this hybrid, not-yet-at-war kind of scenario that we’re in with Iran, and that’s a dangerous precedent to set.” Morell added, “Number three, this actually going to enable the hardliners, strengthen the hardliners in Iran. As we heard earlier, Qasem Soleimani was extremely popular in Iran, and that is gonna actually going to strengthen those people who follow him.”
He concluded, “And lastly, I think we’ve now ended any hope of keeping Iraq out of Iran’s arms.”
American lives have already been lost thanks to the terrorist leader. Were we just supposed to ignore that and go about our business? I am glad he’s dead!
Here is the interview:
"There will be dead Americans" as a result of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani being killed, former CIA deputy director Michael Morell said on @CBSThisMorning.
"The world is a better place without him. The problem is that comes at a very high cost." https://t.co/FMXWvNh2b9 pic.twitter.com/xzsCdqGXHG
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) January 3, 2020