Giuliani on seizing Iraqi oil: 'Of course it's legal. It's war'
Trump argued Iraqi oil proceeds allowed IS to sustain itself
Former New York mayor Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani. PHOTO: REUTERS
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has defended Donald Trump's statement on how the United States should have seized the country's oil during the Iraq War.
Iraq war was illegal, admits Blair’s ex-deputy
In an interview with ABC, when Giuliani’s claims were questioned by the host, he replied, “Of course it’s legal – it’s war. Until the war is over, anything is legal.” He continued, “If we're going to have lost that many people in Iraq, we should have something to say about how that oil is distributed. That would have been the reason I would’ve done it.”
Trump has repeatedly said the United States should have taken Iraq's oil, including at a forum last week. "I've always said -- shouldn't be there, but if we're going to get out, take the oil," Trump said at NBC's Commander-in-Chief Forum. "If we would have taken the oil, you wouldn't have ISIS, because ISIS formed with the power and the wealth of that oil."
UK’s Iraq war inquiry delivers damning verdict on Blair
"You know, it used to be to the victor belong the spoils," Trump said. "Now, there was no victor there, believe me. There was no victor. But I always said, Take the oil." But according to experts, The Geneva Conventions prohibit countries from seizing others' property, even in war -- the exact justification the United States used during its 1990 invasion of Iraq, after the latter had seized Kuwait's oil.
Trump argued that Iraqi oil profits allowed Islamic State to sustain itself, although the terror group also took root in Syria. “If that oil wasn’t there we wouldn’t have the Islamic State, so when he says things like [Barack] Obama and Hillary [Clinton] were the founders of Islamic State, he doesn’t mean literally,” he said.
The Chilcot microscope
On Sunday, Giuliani argued that Trump was in fact not talking about “spoils” for the US with his demand for oil. “He hasn’t said we should take it for ourselves, necessarily,” he said. “We should secure it so it doesn’t get taken by terrorist forces so we can have some say over the distribution.”
This article originally appeared on Guardian.
Iraq war was illegal, admits Blair’s ex-deputy
In an interview with ABC, when Giuliani’s claims were questioned by the host, he replied, “Of course it’s legal – it’s war. Until the war is over, anything is legal.” He continued, “If we're going to have lost that many people in Iraq, we should have something to say about how that oil is distributed. That would have been the reason I would’ve done it.”
Trump has repeatedly said the United States should have taken Iraq's oil, including at a forum last week. "I've always said -- shouldn't be there, but if we're going to get out, take the oil," Trump said at NBC's Commander-in-Chief Forum. "If we would have taken the oil, you wouldn't have ISIS, because ISIS formed with the power and the wealth of that oil."
UK’s Iraq war inquiry delivers damning verdict on Blair
"You know, it used to be to the victor belong the spoils," Trump said. "Now, there was no victor there, believe me. There was no victor. But I always said, Take the oil." But according to experts, The Geneva Conventions prohibit countries from seizing others' property, even in war -- the exact justification the United States used during its 1990 invasion of Iraq, after the latter had seized Kuwait's oil.
Trump argued that Iraqi oil profits allowed Islamic State to sustain itself, although the terror group also took root in Syria. “If that oil wasn’t there we wouldn’t have the Islamic State, so when he says things like [Barack] Obama and Hillary [Clinton] were the founders of Islamic State, he doesn’t mean literally,” he said.
The Chilcot microscope
On Sunday, Giuliani argued that Trump was in fact not talking about “spoils” for the US with his demand for oil. “He hasn’t said we should take it for ourselves, necessarily,” he said. “We should secure it so it doesn’t get taken by terrorist forces so we can have some say over the distribution.”
This article originally appeared on Guardian.