US-Iran News: Is Trump Using Iran Attack To Paint Democrats As Terrorist Sympathizers?

Democrats in both Houses of Congress, who continue their fight to get president Donald Trump to respect the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973, are being smeared as unpatriotic and terrorist sympathizers by Trump and the Republican Party as the Iran crisis rages.

Trump's order to assassinate Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani on January 3 in Iraq again ignited the vexed issue of presidents not warning Congress before taking military action against another country or deploying U.S. troops abroad.

Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution limits the President's authority in the use of force without a declaration of war by Congress. On the other hand, the War Powers Resolution of 1973 is a federal law intended to check the president's power to commit the United States to an armed conflict without the consent of Congress.

It provides the president can only send the U.S. Armed Forces into action abroad by a declaration of war by Congress; by a "statutory authorization;" or in case of "a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on January 5 said the House this week will introduce and vote on a war powers resolution to limit Trump's military actions regarding Iran. In a letter to House Democrats, Pelosi described the airstrike that killed Soleimani as “provocative and disproportionate.” She contends it has “endangered our servicemembers, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran.” A similar resolution was introduced in the Senate.

Congress has complained that Trump did not provide advance notice of the assassination of Soleimani as required by the War Powers Resolution. The administration met the 48-hour deadline required by the War Powers Resolution to notify Congress after the assassination but the document was classified and no public version was released

Two top Senate Democrats asked Trump to immediately declassify the administration’s reasons for killing Soleimani, saying there is “no legitimate justification” for keeping the information from the public.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate foreign relation committee’s Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) said the White House’s classified notification sent to Congress on January 4 under the War Powers Resolution was insufficient and inappropriate.

“It is critical that national security matters of such import be shared with the American people in a timely manner. An entirely classified notification is simply not appropriate in a democratic society.” They asked the notification be declassified “in full.”

All these efforts to enforce the Constitution and the law has led Trump and the GOP to brand Pelosi, Schumer and other Democrats "Iran sympathizers," Politico highlighted.

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Fox News “the only ones mourning the loss of Soleimani are our Democrat leadership and Democrat Presidential candidates.” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham also noted former president Barack Obama designated Soleimani a terrorist but did nothing.

Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, echoed these sentiments. Conway feels the backlash against Trump's decision to take out the "world’s most threatening terrorist" is missplaced.

“The president took out the world’s most threatening terrorist and the Democrats are trying to take out the president. He wins!”

Conway added that “the alarmists and apologists show skepticism about our own intelligence and sympathy for Soleimani.”

Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel asked how many more Americans had to die before Democrats viewed Trump’s actions as justified.

“I’d like to ask Nancy Pelosi, how many more American lives need to be shed before there is a proportionate response?” asked McDaniel.

“The president did the right thing, he took action. Everyone knows that this is a man who has American blood on his hands, and it was time to take him out. He did the right thing in protecting the men and women of this country.”