Pelosi says Congress wasn't consulted about Soleimani strike. Lindsey Graham says he was.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has revealed he knew of President Trump's intention to authorize a drone strike that would kill Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in advance after reports that key lawmakers weren't consulted.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday complained that Trump had taken this major action against Iran "without the consultation of the Congress," and a Pelosi spokesperson told NBC News' Alex Moe on Friday that while she spoke to Defense Secretary Mark Esper afterward, she received no advance notification. CNN's Manu Raju also reports Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wasn't informed and there wasn't a formal briefing with the Gang of Eight.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I was briefed about the potential operation when I was down in Florida," Graham told Fox & Friends, saying he appreciated being "brought into the orbit."
This is likely to increase criticism against Trump's reporte failure to formally brief Congress on his move. As CNN's Jim Sciutto noted, "You have hundreds of people whose job it is to help develop policy and inform the president of the potential consequences of his decisions. This president has chosen to bypass that repeatedly."
-
Zimbabwe’s driving crisisUnder the Radar Southern African nation is experiencing a ‘public health disaster’ with one of the highest road fatality rates in the world
-
The Mint’s 250th anniversary coins face a whitewashing controversyThe Explainer The designs omitted several notable moments for civil rights and women’s rights
-
‘If regulators nix the rail merger, supply chain inefficiency will persist’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
