Schiff, Pelosi Want To Know Why Trump Targeted Iranian General

After U.S. President Donald Trump authorized an airstrike in Iraq that killed top Iranian commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani and others, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) want answers.

The Department of Defense announced Thursday that it had carried out a strike that killed a senior leader in Iraq. The strike prompted a swift condemnation from Iran, who has promised to respond to the U.S. with “severe revenge.”

Pelosi demanded that the Trump administration brief Congress on the attack as well as keep them in the loop regarding future plans. Pelosi and others worry that these strikes, done without Congressional approval, could lead to a serious military confrontation with Iran.

“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. She also said that the White House must also begin briefing Congress regarding the sudden deployment of roughly 4,000 troops to Iraq.

Both the airstrike that killed Suleimani and the large troop deployment to Iraq came as a response to recent incidents in which protesters in Baghdad broke into the U.S. embassy. The White House has firmly stated that it believes those protesters were actually members of Iranian militias and that the embassy breach was an act of aggression by Iran.

Some see eerie echoes of the Benghazi attacks, in which U.S. facilities in Libya were attacked in 2012 resulting in the deaths of several Americans. Not wanting a situation that would be a repeat of Benghazi, Trump was swift to retaliate against Iran for the Baghdad embassy breach.

Pelosi is not the only Congressperson questioning the killing of Suleimani. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) tweeted that while Suleimani was “responsible for unthinkable violence” he was troubled that Congress was not consulted on the attack beforehand. Schiff added that he does not believe the U.S. wants war with Iran and that “all steps must now be taken” to prevent further escalation.

Although Pelosi and Schiff are up in arms over Trump’s decision to not include Congress in the plan to hit Suleimani, technically the military action was, at the least, legally gray. Although the War Powers Resolution requires Congressional authorization before any military action is taken, in 2001 Congress passed an exemption that allows the president to carry out unilateral military strikes without approval if done so in relation to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has publicly said that war with Iran would fall under the latter qualification, meaning Congress would not be involved in decision making surrounding a possible conflict.