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."
-
Switzerland could vote to cap its populationUnder the Radar Swiss People’s Party proposes referendum on radical anti-immigration measure to limit residents to 10 million
-
Political cartoons for February 15Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include political ventriloquism, Europe in the middle, and more
-
The broken water companies failing England and WalesExplainer With rising bills, deteriorating river health and a lack of investment, regulators face an uphill battle to stabilise the industry
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
