On Jan. 3, top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a drone strike that President Donald Trump authorized.
The move has been widely criticized. Many believe it’s going to throw the U.S. into yet another war and are accusing Trump of “starting a war” to distract from impeachment and be reelected (something he once accused former President Barack Obama of doing). One person who is defending the drone strike is Vice President Mike Pence.
Pence on Friday created a tweet thread, detailing some of Soleimani’s “worst atrocities.” One of the tweets in his thread aiming to link Soleimani to 9/11 is full of inaccuracies.
In the tweet, Pence claims Soleimani “assisted in the clandestine travel to Afghanistan of 10 of the 12 terrorists who carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.”
Yesterday, President @realDonaldTrump took decisive action and stood up against the leading state sponsor of terror to take out an evil man who was responsible for killing thousands of Americans. Soleimani was a terrorist. Here are some of his worst atrocities:
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020
Assisted in the clandestine travel to Afghanistan of 10 of the 12 terrorists who carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020
As many pointed out, there were 19 attackers, not 12.
“There were 19 hijackers. And that’s only one of the embarrassing errors in this tweet by the Vice President,” Twitter user @gregpmiller wrote.
Not only did Soleimani belong to a Shia regime and had no business assisting a Sunni-led terrorist force, but it is said he assisted in capturing Al Qaeda militants for the U.S.
“Could we get more clarity on your last point, are you suggesting that a man deeply committed to the Shia state of Iran would conspire with Sunni extremists by enabling their travel to Afghanistan, into a country that held the Taliban, a group he vehemently opposed?” Twitter user @jeffstark76 wrote.
https://twitter.com/gregpmiller/status/1213295669361987585?s=20
Pence doesn’t know there are different types of Muslims who don’t like each other
— BC Ari (@BCAri2016) January 3, 2020
Wow Pence’s tweet is twilight zone disinformation.
— Tulameen (@Tulameen3) January 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/4everNeverTrump/status/1213205099431858176?s=20
There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that Soleimani was aware of the 9/11 attacks before they happened, according to the 9/11 Commission Report.
“You’re lying to everyone about an Iranian role when there’s no evidence Iran knew what al Qaeda was intent on doing on 9/11,” Twitter user @lawhawk wrote.
ok false witness bearer
— 𝚔𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚗 (@KevINthe406) January 3, 2020
You're as wrong as you are homophobic and beholden to a serial predator. Jesus is pleased.
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) January 3, 2020
.@JuddLegum:
— Mattison (@Mattison) January 4, 2020
1. 19 hijackers, not 12
2. There’s no evidence tying Soleimani to 9/11
3. Soleimani is a Shiite & the hijackers were Sunnis
4. After 9/11, Soleimani cooperated w/US, providing intelligence against the Taliban
5. Soleimani was a bad guy; Pence's tweet is garbage
You're lying to everyone about an Iranian role when there's no evidence Iran knew what al Qaeda was intent on doing on 9/11.
— lawhawk (@lawhawk) January 3, 2020
Others recalled the ” war propaganda” the Bush administration peddled in 2003 as reasoning to invade Iraq.
“We are not doing this again. You neocon ignoramuses did this in the last decade. you are not going to start this decade dragging us into another optional war in the ME based on your flagrant lies. And you should know there were 19 hijackers. Blithering fools the lot of you,” Twitter user @HawaiiDelilah wrote.
https://twitter.com/preising/status/1213272755178819585?s=20
No. We are not doing this again. You neocon ignoramuses did this in the last decade. you are not going to start this decade dragging us into another optional war in the ME based on your flagrant lies. And you should know there were 19 hijackers. Blithering fools the lot of you.
— HawaiiDelilah™ (@HawaiiDelilah) January 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/bjaninemorison/status/1213279063596400641?s=20
https://twitter.com/GMSarli/status/1213205057149308932?s=20
This is ironic because we ALREADY had an entire war in IRAQ based on lying about who did 9/11. https://t.co/z4bYiMpmmL
— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) January 4, 2020
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