Over sixty hours of golf over the past two weeks. His ‘head’ is worth less than his federal golf expenses, but enough to buy a lottery ticket for everyone in Iran

Trump now on the golf course; his 257th day at a Trump golf club and 338th at a Trump property since taking office in January 2017 — Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 5, 2020

In many ways, Trump’s approach to the presidency adds to the uncertainty of an increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East, with the administration deploying thousands of additional troops to the region even as Iran vows to take revenge with attacks on unspecified American targets.

Former U.S. national security officials described the situation as worrisome in part because of Iran’s capabilities but also because of Trump’s tendency to ignore advisers and favor instinct over hard information.

“That’s going to be a problem going forward if this situation deteriorates,” said John McLaughlin, the former deputy director of the CIA. Trump and members of his Cabinet with critical roles in a potential conflict with Iran have two defining qualities, McLaughlin said: “low credibility and limited experience.”

www.washingtonpost.com/…

.@davidfrum: “Donald Trump never even aspired to be President of the United States…. He’s President of a little less than half the US… and that’s the only job he’s ever wanted. He regards the majority of the country as his enemies.” “How can he lead a united nation to war?” pic.twitter.com/8JpH3mGPgR — Reliable Sources (@ReliableSources) January 5, 2020

Breaking News: Iran says it is ending all its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal and will no longer limit uranium enrichmenthttps://t.co/FxUuYgrxBF — The New York Times (@nytimes) January 5, 2020

“There may well have been an ongoing plot as Pompeo claims, but Soleimani was a decision-maker, not an operational asset himself,” said Jon Bateman, who served as a senior intelligence analyst on Iran at the Defense Intelligence Agency. “Killing him would be neither necessary nor sufficient to disrupt the operational progression of an imminent plot. What it might do instead is shock Iran’s decision calculus” and deter future attack plans, Bateman said. […]

The United States tracked Soleimani’s movements for several days, keeping Trump apprised, and decided that their best opportunity to kill him would be near the Baghdad airport, the senior administration official said.

He ultimately gave final approval just before the strike, a senior administration official said, making the call from his golf resort.

Trump also had history on his mind. The president has long fixated on 2012 attacks on U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya, and the Obama administration’s response to them, said lawmakers and aides who have spoken to him, and he felt the response to this week’s attack on the embassy and the killing of an American contractor would make him look stronger compared with his predecessor.

www.washingtonpost.com/…

Iran 'offers $80million bounty for Donald Trump's head' after death of general – World News – Mirror Online Interesting, never thought a brain that small would fetch such a price 🤷‍♀️#maga https://t.co/PVrzifTkZu — ᎠᏌNᎬᎷYᎢᎻᎪNᏩ™️ (@Kris_Sacrebleu) January 5, 2020

An $80 million bounty has been placed on Donald Trump’s head in the wake of General Qasem Soleimani’s assassination, according to reports. During the televised funeral of the top Iranian, official state broadcasters said one US dollar would be tabled for every Iranian in the country, with the cash going to whoever killed the US President. “Iran has 80 million inhabitants. Based on the Iranian population, we want to raise $80 million (£61million) which is a reward for those who get close to the head of President Trump,” it was announced, according to en24.

Date: January 5, 2020 at 2:30:09 PM EST

Subject: [WH Pool] Out of town pool report #3

At 2:28 the motorcade pulled out of Trump International Golf Club publicpool.kinja.com/…

This tweet threatens to break several laws. First, the President cannot notify Congress under the War Powers Resolution by tweet. 1/ https://t.co/tf5m8gXzCh — Oona Hathaway (@oonahathaway) January 5, 2020

Second, he claims “[s]uch legal notice is not required.” That’s not true. Any time the president involves the armed forces into “hostilities,” he must–at a minimum–notify Congress within 48 hours. 2/ Third, he is also obligated to “in every possible instance . . . consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situation where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances . . .” under the WPR. 3/ Fourth, he is promising a “perhaps … disproportionate” strike in response–that’s another promise of an international law violation. Any action taken in self defense (the apparent justification for the strikes) must be necessary and proportionate to the threat posed. 4/ That any of this has to be said suggests just how insane this situation has become. Where are the White House, DoJ, DoD, State Dept. lawyers? 5/5

Date: January 5, 2020 at 2:42:34 PM EST

Subject: [WH Pool] Out of town pool report #4

POTUS motorcade pulled back into Mar-a-Lago at 2:39 pm.