House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is calling on the Trump administration to immediately brief lawmakers on the U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian commander in Iraq and what the White House plans to do next.
The strike in Iraq was directed by President Donald Trump and killed Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's secretive Quds Force, the Department of Defense announced Thursday night.
The move, which is likely to provoke retaliation from Iran, comes amid heightened tensions between the Trump administration and Tehran over rocket attacks aimed at coalition forces in Iraq.
U.S. officials have said those attacks were likely carried out by Iranian-backed militias with links to the Quds Force.
"Tonight's airstrike risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence. America — and the world — cannot afford to have tensions escalate to the point of no return," Pelosi said in a statement late Thursday.
The strike was carried out without an "authorization for use of military force" against Iran and without the consultation of Congress, the speaker said.
Others are publicly saying "we need to presume we are in a state of war with Iran."
Apparently, Trump is now tweeting that he didn't tell the Dems in advance for the same reason he didn't tell the Iranians in advance.
He has in the past used this veiled accusation of complicity with the enemy to justify keeping the Dems, but not selected Republican congressional allies, in the dark in advance of a dangerous move.
Political Scientist Highlights New Military ‘Norm’ — Trump Consults Only With Those Who Praise Him
While Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the Gang of Eight in general, and other important members of Congress were left in the dark about President Donald Trump’s plans to attack a high-ranking military official from Iran, Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the president’s top defenders, told hosts on Fox & Friends that Trump did speak to him about the matter while he was at Mar-a-Lago.
“I was briefed about the potential operation when I was down in Florida,” Graham said, per a tweet from CBS News’ Alan He, who was watching the senator speak on the program in real-time. “I appreciate being brought into the orbit.”
Trump briefed Graham but not the Gang of Eight
Or put another way, we’re apparently moving away from the Gang of Eight reporting process and toward a process in which the president notifies an allied senator about national security decisions while sharing a tee time.
If this sounds at all familiar, Trump also kept the Gang of Eight in the dark on the mission targeting Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder and leader of ISIS, a few months ago.
The president did alert Lindsey Graham – who is not a member of the Gang of Eight and whose Senate responsibilities do not require notifications like these.
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