Vice President Mike Pence made the rounds this morning to respond to criticism from Senators Mike Lee and Rand Paul regarding the administration’s rationale for the drone strike on Qassem Soleimani.
According to Pence, there’s more information to back up the administration’s claims that there was an imminent threat, but to disclose those details “could compromise sources and methods”:
NEW: Responding to criticism of congressional briefings, VP Pence asserts to @SavannahGuthrie that admin. could not share with the US Congress some of "most compelling" intel around the Iran strike because doing so "could compromise sources and methods." https://t.co/r00pR8kGT9
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 9, 2020
“I can assure your viewers that those of us that have seen all the evidence, that saw the evidence in real time, know that President Trump made the right decision”:
Vice President Mike Pence addressed Lee's comments on NBC's "Today" show Thursday morning.
"I can assure your viewers that those of us that have seen all the evidence, that saw the evidence in real time, know that President Trump made the right decision." https://t.co/Rvj4ULqMBf
— U.S. News (@usnews) January 9, 2020
Pence also addressed the two during an interview on “Good Morning America”:
Pence: "Great respect for Sen. Mike Lee as well as Sen. Rand Paul, but the truth is both of them have voted against military action taken by this administration… we respectfully disagree with them." @GMA
— Rick Klein (@rickklein) January 9, 2020
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Pence also said on Fox News, “there’s no doubt in my mind that when the Iranians fired those missiles, they were intending to kill Americans”:
“There's no doubt in my mind that when the Iranians fired those missiles, they were intending to kill Americans,” Pence said on Fox.
Iranian commanders say they weren’t—they were targeting US military equipment, not forces.https://t.co/gfKAqfsD9a https://t.co/JY8IDc7nsa
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) January 9, 2020
More from his Fox News hit here:
Thanks to the President’s leadership and thanks to the extraordinary work of our military in the region, the world and America are safer today. pic.twitter.com/ZHp5FU8x5a
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 9, 2020
John Bolton pushed back on Lee and Paul’s argument as well, although he didn’t name them in this tweet where he called the 1973 War Powers Resolution unconstitutional:
The 1973 War Powers Resolution is unconstitutional. It reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how the Constitution allocated foreign affairs authority between the President and Congress. The Resolution should be repealed.
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) January 9, 2020
Sen. Lee, however, doesn’t seem convinced:
Sen. Lee to NPR: "I literally find it difficult to imagine how my friend Marco [Rubio], who is smart, who listens carefully, who cares about these things, how he could emerge from that meeting at say that it was good. It was terrible. It was an unmitigated disaster.”
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) January 9, 2020
Lee was responding to these tweet from Marco Rubio where he claimed the briefing was crystal clear:
Any Senator who left the briefing on #Iran & claims #Soleimani wasn’t planning a near term attack on Americans is calling the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Milley a liar.
Because Gen. Milley stated clearly & firmlythat Soleimani was about to kill Americans.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 9, 2020
Some reporting about GOP Senator upset after Iran briefing leaves false impression it’s because information provided didn’t justify #Soleimani strike
It was because administration didn’t offer hypothetical scenario requiring congressional authorization for military action
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 9, 2020
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