White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ABC News on Monday morning that Iran was an ''imminent threat'' and that President Donald Trump is the ''first president with the guts to actually do something about it.'' She was definitive about the outcome of the surprise U.S. strikes against Iran over the weekend, saying they ''took away Iran's ability to create a nuclear bomb.'' American stealth bombers, fighter jets and a submarine struck Iran with bombs and missiles - joining Israel's attempt to wipe out Iran's nuclear program.
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Jeffries says Trump ‘lied to the American people' about military involvement in Middle East
''He lied to the American people, turned around and, without Congressional authorization, launched an attack that does risk the possibility of further United States entanglement that will cost us trillions of dollars and thousands of lives if it goes the way of the failed war in Iraq and the challenges that we had over a twenty year period of time in Afghanistan,'' Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said of President Trump's broadcasting that he wanted to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear program and to stay out of foreign wars on the campaign trail.
Jeffries said the administration needed a war powers resolution from Congress to carry out orders like last weekend's attacks. While Jeffries counterparts in GOP leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, had been briefed on the attacks beforehand, Jeffries said he had not. No such meeting has yet been scheduled.
''What is your plan to avoid another foreign war, a promise you made, a promise that Donald Trump made to the American people,'' Jeffries said, arguing that Trump had ''failed'' at his other campaign promises.
''We've seen no evidence to date that an offensive strike of this nature was justified under the War Powers Act or the Constitution,'' said Jeffries. ''Not a scintilla of evidence to date has been presented to that I have seen to justify the notion that there was an imminent threat to the United States of America.''
Trump calls Iran's retaliation ‘very weak' and thanks the country for an advance warning of their plans