Washington (AP) – President Donald Trump‘S DECISION TO Launch to Military Strike On Iran’s Nuclear Sites Without Fully Consulting the US Congress Layered to Partisan Approach Onto Risky Action, Particularly Because The White House Briefed Top Republican Leaders Beforehand Without Doing The Same for Democrats.
While House Speaker Mike JohnsonSenate Republican LEADER JOHN THUNE and the gop chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Were All Briefed Before the Action, Their Counterparts Were Not. SENATE DEMOCRATIC Leader Chuck Schumer Was Given a Perfunratory Heads-Up by the White House Shortly Before The Strikes Were Made Public. And House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ Office Received A “COUrth Call” Before Trump Announced it. The So-Called Gang of Eight Congressional and Intelligence Leaders Were Not Notified Before The missionAccording to Two People Familiar with the situation and granted anonymin to discussions it.
One, Rep. Jim Himes, The Top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Said He Learned of the Strikes On Social Media, Which He Said “Is an Uncomfortable Thing for the Ranking Member of the Intelligence Committee.”
“Bad Enough That We Weren’t Infomed,” Himes, of Connecticut, Said Sunday on CNN, “But Unconstitutional That We Didn’t Have the Opportunity To Debate And Speak, The Representatives of the People, On What The More Consequent Foreign Policy Things Things Things country has doe in a long time. ”
IT’S A HIGHLY UNUSUAL SETTING THAT IS Complicating The Difficult Politics ahead For the President and Hist Party As the US ENTERS AN UNCERTAIN National Security Era with the Surprise Military Attack on the Nuclear Facilities, An Unprecedendd Incursion in Iran.
Trump faces a vote in congress as soon as this week on a war power resolution from SEN. TIM KAINE, D-VA., That willd “Direct the Removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities Against the Islamic Republic of Iran That Have Not Been Authorized By Congress.” Another Resolution Has Been Introduced by Lawmakers From Both Parties in the Us House. And at Least One Democrat, rep. Alexandria occasion CortezSaid Trump’s Actions are “Clearly Grounds for Impeachment.”
At the Same Time, The Trump Administration is Expecting Congress to Send An AddiTIONAL $ 350 Billion in National Security Funds As parts of the President’s Big Tax Breaks Bill Also Heading Soon is a vote. SENATORS ARE SET TO BE BRIEFED Tuesday Behind Closed Doors on the Situation in Iran.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Said Sunday That the White House “Bipartisan Coupartesy Calls” to Congressional Leadership. She Said in Social Media Post That the White House Spoke to Schumer “Before the Strike” But that House Leader Jeffries “Could Not Be Reated Until After, But He was BrieFed.”
While the President has Authority as the Commander in Chief of the US ARMED FORCES TO ORDER SPECIFIC MILITARY ACTIONS, ANY PROLONGED WAR-TIME FOOTING WOULD TRADITIONALLY NEED AUTHORIZATION FROM Congress. THE HOUSE AND SENATE AUTHORIZED ACTIONS IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN AND BEYOND after the sept. 11, 2001, Attack.
“Congress Should Be Consulted,” Kaine Said on CBS ‘”Face the Nation.” “We were not.”
AS Soon As Trump Anniedd the Actions Late Saturday, He Won Swift Support from the Gop Leadership in Congress. Johnson, Thune and the Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Were All Briefed ahead of Time and Sent Almost Simultaneous Backing The Military Campaign, As the House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Rep. Rick Crawford, Also of Arkansas.
But by Apparently Degrating With Only One Side Of The Political Aisle, Trump Risks Saddling His Republican Party with Political Ownership of the Military Action Against Iran, Which May or May Not Prové Popular with Americans. Rather than rally the country to His side, Trump Risks Cleaving Its Already Deep Division Over His Second Term Agenda.
Johnson, Who Praised Trump’s Action Against Iran as “The Right Call,” Said the President’s Targeted Strike Was Within His Authority and In Line With Past Presidential Actions.
“Leaders in Congress Were Aware of the Urgency of This Situation and the Commander-In-Chief Evaluated That the Imminent Danger Outweighed The Time It It For Congress to Act,” Johnson, R-L., Said on Social Media.
Trump Himself hasn Little Patience for Political Disassent from Within His Party, Even As Criticism Rolls in From Among His Most Trusted Backers.
The Iran Military Campaign Threams to Splinter Trump’s Make America Great Again Movement, Which Powered His Return To the White House. Many Trump Supporters Aligned With Hiss Campaign Promises Not to Involve the United States in Overseas Actions and Instead to Be a Peace-Making President.
“I Think I Representation Part of the Coalition That Elected Trump,” Said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., On CBS. “We were Tired of Endless Wars in the Middle East.”
MASSIE AND DEMOCRATIC REP. Ro Khanna of California have introduced their owners War Powers Resolution in the House, Sign of How Close the Far Left and Far Right Have Tram Bondeed Over Their Their Their to US CAMPAIGNS ABROAD, Particularly in the Middle East.
The Trump Administration Insisted Sunday the us is not Seeking a War with Iran. “We’re Not at War with Iran. We’re at War with Iran’s Nuclear Program,“ Said Vice President Jd Vance on Nbc’s “Meet the Press.”
And Trump Swiftly Attacked Massie, Who is one of the show Steadfast Nan-Interventionist Gop Lawmakers in Congress-Along with Sen. Rand Paul, Also of Kentucky-and the President Suggested He Wold Turn Turn Party Against The Congressman.
“Maga Should Drop This Pathetic Loser, Tom Massie, Like The Plague!” The President Said on Social Media. “The Good News is that we will have a Wonderful American Patriot Running Against Him in the Republican Primary, and I’m Out in Kentucky Campaigning really Hard.”
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Associated Press Writer Mary Clare Jalonick Contributed to this Report.
