Rand Paul, Mike Lee rip administration over Iran briefing

phill4paul

phill4paul

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Good on 'em.

GOP Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Rand Paul (Ky.) ripped the administration over a closed-door briefing on Iran on Wednesday, announcing they will now support a resolution reining in President Trump's military powers.

Lee, speaking to reporters after a roughly hour-long closed-door meeting with administration officials, characterized it as "the worst briefing I've seen, at least on a military issue.”

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, CIA Director Gina Haspel and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley were dispatched to brief both the House and Senate on Wednesday amid days of concerns from lawmakers that Trump was on a path to war with Iran, which on Tuesday night launched missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops.

Lee said the officials warned that Congress would "embolden" Iran if lawmakers debated Trump's war powers.

"I find this insulting and demeaning ... 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," Lee said.

Lee did not say which briefer made the assertion, but specified that no administration representative contradicted them. He added that he was going to have a "conversation" with Trump about the remarks.

"I find that absolutely insane. I think that's unacceptable," Lee added.

Paul added that he found the briefing "less than satisfying," and knocked the administration for using the 2002 war authorization as the basis for last week's airstrike against an Iranian general.

"I see no way in the world you could logically argue that an authorization to have war with Saddam Hussein has anything to with having war with people currently in Iraq," Paul told reporters.

He added that using the 2002 authorization to justify the strike that killed Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad was "absurd" and an "insult."

"Let's have the debate, and let's have some senators stand up," Paul said.

The briefing comes as the House is set to vote on a resolution on Thursday that would force Trump to end hostilities against Iran unless he gets specific authorization from Congress.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) has introduced a similar resolution that is set for a vote on the Senate floor as soon as next week.

Lee said that he had not seen the House resolution but was open to considering it.
"After today, every time they pull a stunt like this I'm willing to consider and introduce any and every war powers act resolution," he said.

Both GOP senators were undecided on Kaine's resolution before the briefing, but announced afterward that they are now supporting the measure. Democrats need four GOP votes to pass the resolution checking Trump's authority.

"I can say that after that briefing — that briefing is what changed my mind. ... I'm now going to support it. I walked into the briefing undecided, I walked out of that briefing decided specifically because of what happened in that briefing," Lee added.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate...eajjb2lVzVluOb8QjlNVnwn9um0OBFMD4BEgb7mC_Jhzk
 
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And like clockwork, teocon Mark Levin is ripping Mike and Rand. Levin is a constitutionalist, in that he can twist the Constitution with the best of them to fit his agenda.
 
Graham told reporters on Wednesday that he thought Paul and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) were "overreacting" by criticizing comments made during a closed-door Iran briefing.

"They're libertarians," Graham said. "I think they're overreacting, quite frankly. Go debate all you want to. I'm going to debate you. Trust me, I'm going to let people know that at this moment in time to play this game with the war powers act ... whether you mean to or not, you're empowering the enemy."
 
Brian4Liberty said:
And like clockwork, teocon Mark Levin is ripping Mike and Rand. Levin is a constitutionalist, in that he can twist the Constitution with the best of them to fit his agenda.
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If history is any indicator Sword will soon be calling them Iranian terrorist lovers who should be voted out for not supporting Trump. ANd of course, the mods will allow it.

On a side note, Mike Lee is running for re-election this year.
 
angelatc said:
If history is any indicator Sword will soon be calling them Iranian terrorist lovers who should be voted out for not supporting Trump. ANd of course, the mods will allow it.

On a side note, Mike Lee is running for re-election this year.
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:sleeping:
 
nobody's_hero said:
Those two would make a damn good republican ticket.
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People hate freedom so I dont think Rand/Lee would win. I think we need to give up on presidential politics. Imagine if we had 10 Rand Paul's and Mike Lee's in the Senate. We would actually see stuff done..
 
Swordsmyth said:
:sleeping:
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giphy.gif



You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to angelatc again.
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mike-lee-rand-paul-rtr-jc-200108_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg

Defense Secretary Esper privately warned lawmakers against debating war powers

On the eve of a House vote Thursday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper urged Congress not to debate limits to President Donald Trump’s power to strike Iran because doing so might embolden Tehran and hurt U.S. troops, multiple sources tell ABC News.

The suggestion by Esper, in a classified briefing for lawmakers on Wednesday, enraged some members, including Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, who swiftly marched to the television cameras following the 75-minute briefing to declare it “insulting.” Lee said Esper's comments felt like being told to be “good little boys and girls and run along and not debate this in public.”

“I find that absolutely insane,” he said.

Jonathan Hoffman, chief Pentagon spokesman, said Esper was responding to a “direct question” on the matter when he expressed concern “about unintentional messages to the force” if Congress attempted to repeal an existing authorization for military force in Iraq “at the same time that American troops are in harm’s way.”

“In follow up questioning, the Secretary made it clear that he was not questioning the appropriateness of Congressional debate on military force, but rather he stated a concern about how such a debate would be interpreted by the force,” Hoffman said in a statement provided to ABC News.

That Esper – a Cabinet member and former senior staffer on Capitol Hill – suggested lawmakers would be wise to stand down on the matter of providing a constitutional check to the executive branch is likely to become a flash point in Congress and unify Democrats with libertarian-leaning conservatives like Sens. Lee and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/def...d-lawmakers-debating-trumps/story?id=68164993
 
They're wheeling out Pence now. The administration is worred...

Vice President Pence defended the Trump administration’s withholding of intelligence it says justified the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani after Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called a White House briefing on the matter “insulting.”

In an appearance on NBC's “Today,” the vice president was asked why the administration could not share the intelligence with senators.

Pence defended the administration withholding the evidence as necessary to protect sources and methods, saying “some of the most compelling evidence that Qassem Soleimani was preparing an imminent attack against American forces and American personnel also represents some of the most sensitive intelligence that we have.”
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https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...ing-soleimani-intel-in-light-of-lee-criticism

He's lying again.
 
angelatc said:
If history is any indicator Sword will soon be calling them Iranian terrorist lovers who should be voted out for not supporting Trump. ANd of course, the mods will allow it.
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I'm eager to read his posts about why congress should not limit the president's war powers.
 
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