The Biden administration has not yet directly informed senators of last week’s airstrike at a Syrian facility allegedly used by a group of allied militias in Iran, while Democratic lawmakers continue to express anger at the measure.
Administration officials offered an information session for Senate aides on Tuesday, which Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) Told Politico he was attending to get an appearance justifying the team’s strike. Biden.
The Connecticut senator, who is on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said at the outset that he was not impressed by what he learned.
“I still need to be convinced that any president has the necessary authorization to go on a retaliatory strike, especially outside of Iraq,” Murphy said, noting that while obsolete, previous authorizations still allow the use of the force in Iraq.
“Today I heard nothing that convinced me that there was a justification that would apply to any administration,” he continued.
Attendees who attended the briefing criticized what information was provided to them in a separate reading obtained by the media, writing that administration officials gave “unsatisfactory” answers and that “there was not much substance.” .
A source familiar with the matter told the National Security Council, which is responsible for these briefings, told The Post that briefings were offered to lawmakers, but that Capitol Hill leadership called for presentations to be made only at staff level.
NSC spokeswoman Emily Horne responded to The Post’s comment and said, “We are delighted to be informed about this issue at both the member and staff level, as requested.”
Concerns about transparency didn’t just come from Murphy.
Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) Said this week that he would go on to reintroduce his war powers resolution, which was passed in Congress last year but was vetoed by President Donald Trump.
The resolution slows the commander-in-chief’s ability to declare war or take military action without congressional approval.
Kaine, who has long supported Congress for more reasons to reduce the president’s ability to wage war, expressed anger after Biden authorized last week’s airstrike without notifying Congress or asking for it. him approval.
“The American people deserve to hear the Administration’s justification for these strikes and their legal justification for acting without coming to Congress,” he said in a statement at the time.
“Offensive military action without the approval of Congress is unconstitutional without extraordinary circumstances. Congress needs to be fully informed on this issue quickly, “he added.
Asked about the recovery of his resolution this week, the 2016 vice presidential candidate reiterated that “I think firmly, and this goes back to the wording of the Constitution and the first knowledge of it, is that if a president defends against a continuous attack or imminent attack, the president has a certain unilateral power and that is good.
“But the idea of offending against groups, is traditionally where you should get to Congress.”
Kaine added that he was “not notified at all” of the Syrian strike, nor were there “many people” in Congress who should have been.
It seems that Kaine’s resolution could have some democratic support in the House of Representatives, where anger is also palpable among lawmakers.
Representative Ro Khanna (California) went on strike during an interview with The Hill on Tuesday, saying he was “clearly” violating international and US law.
“I’m sure there would have been more outrage, because this is not a close case,” Khanna said when asked if the reaction to the strike would have been more severe if it had been ordered by Trump.
“My view is – and a lot of people in the Democratic Party have said it – that we need to get out of these endless wars and this conflict,” he said. “I don’t see how surprising in Syria the Iranian goals are achieving that goal.”