GOP Sen. Mike Lee ridicules Trump administration's 'insulting' Soleimani briefing, backs Democrats' war powers resolution
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Do not count Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) among the GOP lawmakers pleased with the Trump administration's classified briefing Wednesday on the U.S. strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq last week.
Lee was apparently furious after witnessing the closed-door discussions about the justification of the strike and Washington's next steps amid heightened tensions with Tehran. The senator called the briefing "insulting" and said it was the worst he's heard on a military issue since becoming a senator in 2011. Before he went into the briefing room, Lee said, he wasn't sure if he was going to back a Senate Democrat-backed war powers resolution led by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), but the meeting convinced him to throw his weight behind it. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will reportedly join Lee in backing the measure, as well.
The administration officials, Lee said, refused to push back on anything regarding Iran out of fear that dissension in the White House ranks would send the wrong signal to the public. That attempt to squash any form of public debate seemed to be thing that really set Lee over the edge.
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.
The senator, though, said he didn't want to comment on any individuals he grew frustrated with during the meeting until he speaks directly with President Trump. But, ultimately, he said he went in with a "lot of questions," and exited without any answers.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
What is the endgame in the DHS shutdown?Today’s Big Question Democrats want to rein in ICE’s immigration crackdown
-
‘Poor time management isn’t just an inconvenience’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
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
