This one seems like a case of “too good to check.” The claim that President Trump “may not have known” that there are United States troops currently stationed in Qatar, the small Middle Eastern country he disparaged recently on social media, is based entirely on nameless sources. This isn’t itself a reason to doubt the allegation.
Rather, the story seems dubious given Trump is on record referring to the U.S. Central Command in Qatar.
MSNBC’s Brian Williams and Nicole Wallace reported Thursday that an anonymous source told them it’s unclear if Trump knew about Qatar-based U.S. troops.
MSNBC reporting White House sources says Trump “may not have known” the US has troops based in Qatar.
— Simon Marks (@SimonMarksFSN) June 8, 2017
Brian Williams on @MSNBC says a source tells him and @NicolleDWallace they’re not sure Trump knew there were Americans stationed in Qatar.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 8, 2017
The supposed news scoops came not long after Trump ruffled feathers by going after the Middle Eastern country on social media.
“During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar – look!” Trump tweeted on June 6.
“So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar,” he added. “Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!”
Unsurprisingly, the president’s remarks prompted backlash both here and abroad, as critics worried his unscripted social media musings would further destabilize an already-unstable region.
Qatar officials were also none too pleased with his comments.
Journo Twitter, of course, had a field day with the anonymously-sourced claim regarding Trump’s supposed ignorance about the U.S. presence in Qatar.
This man knows nothing.#POTUS #POTUS45 #PresidentTrump #TrumpAdmin #TrumpAdministration #p2 #tcot https://t.co/HP5djT9xDW— Lauren Moccio (@LaurenMoccio) June 8, 2017
*Screams into the abyss* https://t.co/MbP7IhA57B
— Andy L (@AndrewLegon) June 8, 2017
One possible problem with this story, however, is that the president has spoken specifically about U.S. military assets over there. On May 21, during an address at the Arab Islamic Summit, the president credited multiple Middle Eastern countries for their contributions to the fight against terrorism.
“Jordanian pilots are crucial partners against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Saudi Arabia and a regional coalition have taken strong action against Houthi militants in Yemen. The Lebanese Army is hunting ISIS operatives who try to infiltrate their territory. Emirati troops are supporting our Afghan partners. In Mosul, American troops are supporting Kurds, Sunnis and Shias fighting together for their homeland,” he said
He added [emphasis added], “Qatar, which hosts the U.S. Central Command, is a crucial strategic partner. Our longstanding partnership with Kuwait and Bahrain continue to enhance security in the region. And courageous Afghan soldiers are making tremendous sacrifices in the fight against the Taliban, and others, in the fight for their country.”
It’s possible the president didn’t know the U.S. has troops stationed in Qatar. Maybe, maybe not.
For now, though, let’s not hang our hats on a thinly-sourced claim stating otherwise, especially when the president is on record referring specifically to Qatar playing host to the U.S. Central Command.
(h/t Dave Brown)
