Democratic California Sen. Adam Schiff did not appear enthusiastic on Sunday when asked about Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s call to impeach President Donald Trump over the bombings in Iran.
Ocasio-Cortez said in a Saturday evening statement that Trump’s decision to bomb three nuclear sites in Iran is a “grave violation” of his constitutional powers and that his actions are “clearly grounds for impeachment.” Schiff said on CNN’s “State of the Union” the “immediate step” should be to pass a war powers resolution to block further military action rather than to impeach the president.
“We’ve seen what a high bar there is to impeachment when one party in Congress, the Republican Party, is willing to work completely in lockstep with the president. I think the better remedy, frankly, is if Republicans will show any backbone whatsoever, is to pass a war powers resolution to prevent any further military action that is not purely defensive, that is designed to protect service members’ lives, American lives and our interests. That to me ought to be the most immediate step,” Schiff said.
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Members of Congress, including some Republicans, have shown opposition to the U.S. getting directly involved in a conflict with Iran. Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie and Democrat California Rep. Ro Khanna introduced a resolution on June 17 that intended to block Trump from engaging in “unauthorized hostilities” with Iran.
After the U.S. military bombed the nuclear facilities, Massie said that Trump’s action is “not constitutional,” while Khanna called on Congress to immediately convene and deliberate on the resolution.
Some congressional members supported the move, including Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who called the military action “bold, brilliant, and effective” during a Sunday appearance on “Meet the Press.” Senate Majority Republican John Thune of South Dakota and Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman also supported Trump’s m
Trump said during an address to the nation on Saturday night that Iran will face devastating attacks “far greater” than it has ever seen if the nation does not seek peace. He called the action a “very successful attack” that “completely and totally obliterated” nuclear enrichment facilities in the region.
Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that the U.S. is not “at war” with Iran, but instead with its nuclear program.
