McCain Says Trump Admin Isn’t Being Upfront With Congress On Niger Attack

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., questions former FBI Director James Comey during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Thursday, June 8, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told reporters on Wednesday that the Trump administration has not given Congress enough information on the deadly attack on U.S. soldiers earlier this month in Niger.

Asked if the administration was being upfront with him about the attack, McCain replied, “No,” according to CNN.

But when asked if he would launch a probe into the matter as chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain said that he would first like all the information Congress “deserves and needs” before deciding whether to move forward with an investigation.

“That’s why we’re called the Senate Armed Services Committee. It’s because we have oversight of our military,” he told reporters, according to CNN. “So we deserve to have all the information.”

The Defense Department already has launched a review of the attack, looking at why soldiers were susceptible to the ambush attack by fighters affiliated with the Islamic State terror group.

The White House has not revealed much about the circumstances of the attack, and President Donald Trump has not issued a public statement on the ambush. Instead, Trump has stirred up a political fire storm by baselessly accusing his predecessors of failing to personally call the families of fallen soldiers in the past.

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