Ted Lieu grills Mike Waltz over U.S. troop casualties in Iran war
Rep. Ted Lieu, D.-Calif., sharply criticized U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz during his appearance before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, accusing him of failing to understand the toll the war with Iran has taken on U.S. troops.
Lieu lambasted Waltz for misstating the number of U.S. troops who have been wounded during the conflict. Waltz, who was fired as national security adviser last year after accidentally adding a journalist to a group chat on a secure messaging platform, initially said that he believed the figure was “over 100.” The real count, Lieu pointed out, is 482.
“Shame on you for not even knowing basic facts,” Lieu shouted at Waltz.
The exchange came days after three service members were killed in an Iranian attack on a U.S. base in Jordan on Friday. A fourth service member was killed over the weekend in northern Iraq, bringing the U.S. military death toll in the conflict to 18.
Lieu said he was not surprised that Waltz did not know the actual number of wounded troops.
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Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
