Democrats on Saturday rebuked President Donald Trump for striking three Iranian nuclear facilities, arguing that his decision to get involved puts the U.S. at risk of a prolonged war.
“Trump’s strikes against Iran are not only unconstitutional, but an escalation that risks bringing the U.S. into another endless and deadly war,” Rep. Sara Jacobs, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, posted.
Many Democratic members of key committees were not given advanced warning about the strikes, a source familiar with the situation told NOTUS; only Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries were alerted, the source said.
Other members of key committees and Democratic leadership were also quick to weigh in, calling for more information and arguing that they see the strikes as unconstitutional. At least two Democrats even called for impeachment.
“The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm’s way,” Jeffries said in a statement. “President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East.”
He called for the administration to give Congress a classified briefing.
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, lashed out at the administration over the level of information provided to Congress.
“According to the Constitution we are both sworn to defend, my attention to this matter comes BEFORE bombs fall. Full stop,” Himes wrote.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted that Trump “has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”
And in a social media post, Illinois Rep. Sean Casten also said Trump’s actions amount to “an impeachable offense.”
“I’m not saying we have the votes to impeach,” Casten wrote. “I’m saying that you DO NOT do this without Congressional approval and if Johnson doesn’t grow a spine and learn to be a real boy tomorrow we have a BFing problem that puts our very Republic at risk.”
Already, Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have lined up behind Trump’s decision to proceed with strikes. Johnson called it “America First policy in action” on Saturday.
Trump announced the strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities just before 8 p.m. Saturday, after days of mulling whether to get involved. Israel, already at war with Iran, has argued that Iran was close to obtaining nuclear weapons; U.S. intelligence has had a different assessment. Meanwhile, Israel has been calling for U.S. involvement.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, a staunch Israel ally, weighed in early to support Trump’s strikes, a high-profile break with where the Democratic party was lining itself up on Saturday.
“As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS,” Fetterman wrote minutes after news of the strikes. “Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities. I’m grateful for and salute the finest military in the world.”
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, the first Iranian American Democrat elected to Congress, called for an immediate emergency session to vote on a war powers resolution.
“Donald Trump illegally took military action against Iran — without congressional authorization — risking dragging us into another endless war,” Ansari posted.
Rep. Summer Lee, a progressive lawmaker, said Congress should work to “pass its War Powers resolution to rein him in.”
“Trump is acting fully outside of his authority and is once again trampling on the Constitution. This is an illegal and terrifying escalation,” Lee posted. “Dropping bombs on Iran brings us closer to war, not peace, and he is putting millions of lives at stake.”
And Sen. Bernie Sanders learned of the strike while speaking onstage during a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he read Trump’s statement aloud to chants of “No more war.”
“I agree,” Sander replied to the chants. “And I want to tell you something. Not only is this news I just heard alarming, but it is so grossly unconstitutional. All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The president does not have the right.”
This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS — a publication from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Allbritton Journalism Institute — and NEWSWELL, home of Times of San Diego, Santa Barbara News-Press and Stocktonia.
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