Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Republican Senator Goes Off on Trump Administration After Sitting Through 'Worst' Iran Briefing

Republican Senator Goes Off on Trump Administration After Sitting Through 'Worst' Iran Briefing
Fox News

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), a co-chairman of President Donald Trump's Utah Reelection Board, took the rare step of dissenting against the Trump administration after a Senate briefing on the merits of Trump's drone strike that killed top Iranian military official, Qasem Soleimani.

The briefing came just one day after Iran deployed retaliatory strikes on two Iraqi military bases where U.S. troops are stationed.


Most Republican Senators praised the President as they emerged from the 75 minute closed door hearing, but a furious Lee didn't hold back in expressing his dissatisfaction with top Defense Department officials' explanations for why Trump took the drastic step of killing Soleimani without notifying Congress.

Watch below.

After initially praising Donald Trump, Lee began to criticize the information (or lack thereof) given by defense officials during the briefing:

"I had hoped and expected to receive more information outlining the legal, factual, and moral justification for the attack. I was left somewhat unsatisfied on that front...This however, is not the biggest problem I have with the briefing, which I would add was probably the worst briefing I've seen at least on a military issue in the nine years I've served in the United States Senate."

He went on to describe what really bothered him about the hearing.

"What I found so distressing about that briefing is that one of the messages we received from the briefers was, 'Do not debate, do not discuss the issue of the appropriateness of further military intervention against Iran,' and that 'if you do, you'll be emboldening Iran,' the implication being that we would somehow be making America less safe by having a discussion about the appropriateness of further military involvement against the government of Iran."
Lee was insulted by certain implications from the briefers
"Now, I find this insulting and demeaning, not personally but to the office that each of the 100 senators in this building happens to hold. I find it insulting and demeaning to the Constitution of the United States to which we've all sworn an oath. It is, after all, the prerogative of the Legislative Branch to declare war."

Then, he dropped some news.

"I also want to make clear that I walked into that briefing undecided as to whether to support a resolution under the War Powers Act introduced by Senator [Tim] Kaine [D-VA]. Now, Senator Kaine and I have had some discussions. I've got some concerns with some of the language...and I can say that after briefing, that briefing is what changed my mind. That briefing has brought me on board. Together with the amendments Senator Kaine has agreed to make. I'm going to support it."

Senator Kaine was Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's running mate in 2016, and now he's introduced a resolution aimed at limiting the President's ability to further escalate the situation in Iran.

According to a statement from Kaine:

"The resolution requires that any hostilities with Iran must be explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force, but does not prevent the United States from defending itself from imminent attack."

With Lee and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) likely supporting the resolution, only two more Republican Senators would be needed to pass it. It would almost certainly pass the House where it would even more certainly be vetoed by Trump, thereby going back to the Senate and requiring an all but unattainable supermajority to override the veto.

Lee directed his final comments to officials within the Executive Branch.

"It is not acceptable for officials within the Executive Branch of government—I don't care if they're with the CIA, with the Department of Defense or otherwise—to come in and tell us that we can't debate and discuss the appropriateness of military intervention against Iran. It's un-American. It's unconstitutional. And it's wrong."

People commended Lee for being one of the few Senators to speak out against Trump's hastiness.





Others reminded Lee—a fervent Trump supporter—of other atrocities and ethical breaches committed by the Executive Branch in the last three years.



The Senator from Utah isn't dissenting out of political gain either: Trump won Utah in 2016 by 19 percent.

More from People/donald-trump

The Scariest Things People've Ever Seen That They Can't Quite Explain

Life is scary, and not just for the obvious reasons.

I mean scary as in "The Exorcist" scary.

Keep ReadingShow less
Matthew McConaughey
Gary Miller/Getty Images

Matthew McConaughey's Complicated Recipe For Tuna Salad Has Foodies Intrigued

Beloved actor Matthew McConaughey just went viral on TikTok, and it wasn't for his charm, his acting skills, or his famous "Alright, alright, alright!" turning into a trending sound.

No, the man went viral for his tuna salad recipe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Josh Brolin; Denzel Washington
Dominik Bindl/Getty Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Josh Brolin Reveals How He Nearly Came To Blows With Denzel Washington On Film Set

When we're watching a really great TV show or movie, it's easy to forget that we're not just looking at characters; we're looking at people who have real lives off set, who sometimes have the same experiences we do.

Josh Brolin, for example, just admitted that he almost got into a fight with Denzel Washington when tensions got really high on set.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kelly Marie Tran
Sean Mathis/Getty Images for SXSW

'Star Wars' Star Kelly Marie Tran Comes Out As Queer In Powerful Interview

Actor Kelly Marie Tran, known for her work in two of the Star Wars sequel trilogy films The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, has officially come out as queer.

The 35-year-old, who played the Star Wars character Rose Tico and voiced the title character in Disney's animated film Raya and the Last Dragon, revealed her sexuality in a powerful interview with Vanity Fair.

Keep ReadingShow less
Matt Gaetz
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Matt Gaetz Has A Cringey New Grift After Resigning From Congress—And Here We Go Again

Former MAGA Congressman Matt Gaetz announced his next endeavor after dropping out of attorney general consideration last week, and it's giving people the dry heaves.

The embattled ex Representative from Florida, who resigned from Congress after President-elect Donald Trump appointed him as AG, withdrew his name from consideration minutes before more details emerged amidst the sexual misconduct allegations against him that he continues to deny.

Keep ReadingShow less