Psaki on reports of Melania Trump in the Situation Room: ‘This is not normal’

Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in response to reports that former first lady Melania Trump entered the Situation Room during a 2019 raid against ISIS that “this is not normal.” 

“No, this is not normal. I think it’s important to restate that as much as possible around Trump,” she said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday. 

Psaki was responding to reports from an excerpt of former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller’s book called “Soldier Secretary.” The Hill obtained an advance copy of the book, which is being released Tuesday. 

He wrote in one part that Melania Trump joined then-President Trump, then-Vice President Mike Pence, then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley in the Situation Room as U.S. forces conducted a raid that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 

Miller was serving as special assistant to the president for counterterrorism and transnational threats at the time. 

He added that her presence in the room was “unexpected, to say the least.” 

U.S. troops were led into the compound where al-Baghdadi was staying by a dog named Conan. The late ISIS leader blew himself up as U.S. forces closed in. 

Miller wrote that the former first lady told the former president that he should talk about the dog when announcing the raid to the public, saying that “everyone loves dogs.” 

Psaki said she “never” saw a first lady walk into the situation room while she served in the Obama and Biden administrations.

“This was an ISIS raid. What on earth was the first lady doing there for the security clearance reasons but also to talk about the dog or anything else? That’s bizarre too,” she said.