McConnell urges lawmakers to wait for facts on Soleimani killing

[January 07, 2020]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday U.S. lawmakers should wait for the facts before criticizing President Donald Trump's decision to kill top Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad last week.

President Donald Trump listens to a question from reporters next to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as he arrives for a closed Senate Republican policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

"We can and we should learn more about the intelligence and thinking that led to this operation and the plan to defend American personnel and interests in the wake of it," McConnell said at the U.S. Capitol after lawmakers returned from winter break.

"Unfortunately, in this toxic political environment, some of our colleagues rushed to blame our own government before even knowing the facts. Rushed to split hairs about intelligence before being briefed on it."

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell and Tim Ahmann; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Lisa Lambert)

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