Trump Tweets Fake Photo of Military Dog Getting Medal

'Conan' is going to visit White House next week
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 31, 2019 3:28 AM CDT
Trump Tweets Fake Photo of Military Dog Getting Medal
A photo of the military working dog that was injured tracking down Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a tunnel beneath his compound in Syria.   (White House via AP)

"AMERICAN HERO," President Trump tweeted Wednesday with a faked photo of himself awarding an honor to the dog injured in the raid that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The photo, originally posted by the Daily Wire conservative website, was an altered version of one from 2017, in which Trump awards the Medal of Honor to James McLoughlan, a retired Army medic. McCloughan tells the New York Times that he laughed when he saw the image and definitely wasn't offended. "This recognizes the dog is part of that team of brave people," the 73-year-old says, adding that he worked with a dog in Vietnam that detected enemy activity. "They are very courageous," he says.

Trump—the first president in more than a century not to have a dog—revealed early Thursday that the military dog will be visiting the White House next week. He also apparently declassified the dog's name. the AP reports. "Thank you Daily Wire. Very cute recreation, but the 'live' version of Conan will be leaving the Middle East for the White House sometime next week!" Trump tweeted. The Pentagon, which has not officially released the name of the Belgian Malinois, says it was injured when it came into contact with live electrical cables while pursuing the ISIS leader through a tunnel, but it has now returned to active duty. Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters that such dogs are "critical members of our forces." (More President Trump stories.)

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