Pelosi says Trump carried out strike on Iranian commander without authorization and she wants details
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the U.S. strike that killed the commander of Iran's Quds Force "risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence."
By Phil Helsel
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is calling on the Trump administration to immediately brief lawmakers on the U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian commander in Iraq and what the White House plans to do next.
The strike in Iraq was directed by President Donald Trump and killed Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's secretive Quds Force, the Department of Defense announced Thursday night.
The move, which is likely to provoke retaliation from Iran, comes amid heightened tensions between the Trump administration and Tehran over rocket attacks aimed at coalition forces in Iraq. U.S. officials have said those attacks were likely carried out by Iranian-backed militias with links to the Quds Force.
"Tonight's airstrike risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence. America — and the world — cannot afford to have tensions escalate to the point of no return," Pelosi said in a statement late Thursday.
The strike was carried out without an "authorization for use of military force" against Iran and without the consultation of Congress, the speaker said.
"The full Congress must be immediately briefed on this serious situation and on the next steps under consideration by the Administration, including the significant escalation of the deployment of additional troops to the region," Pelosi said.
U.S. airstrike could lead to armed conflict with Iran, Richard Engel says
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., echoed Pelosi in remarks Friday on the Senate floor, saying that Trump will require congressional approval if he plans a large increase in troops to deal with potential hostility over a longer time.
"When the security of the nation is at stake, decisions must not be made in a vacuum," Schumer said. "The framers of the constitution gave war powers to the legislature and made the executive the commander-in-chief for the precise reason of forcing the two branches of government to consult with one another when it came to matters of war and of peace."
The Defense Department characterized the strike on Soleimani as "decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad" and said in a statement that the Iranian commander "was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region."
Several Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, praised Trump's move.
"No man alive was more directly responsible for the deaths of more American service members than Qassem Soleimani," McConnell said Friday on the Senate floor just after the chamber gaveled in from its holiday break. McConnell added, "For too long, this evil man operated without constraint, and countless innocents have suffered for it."
McConnell and Schumer respond to U.S. airstrike against Iranian general
The majority leader also said the administrou
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