US Air Force F-22 fighter jets fly in formation during a military aircraft flight over the Hudson River and New York Harbor, passing through York City and New Jersey, USA, July 4, 2020.
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Some Senate Democrats on Friday criticized President Joe Biden’s decision to launch an air strike in Syria on Thursday night without consulting the entire Congress.
The Pentagon briefed Congress leadership before the action, according to a National Security Council spokesman. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s staff was announced before the strike, according to a Democratic aide.
Senator Tim Kaine, Va., Requested a briefing from the Biden administration on Friday on the decision-making behind the airstrikes.
“The American people deserve to hear the administration’s reasoning for these strikes and its legal justification for acting without coming to Congress. Offensive military action without congressional approval is unconstitutional in the absence of extraordinary circumstances,” a statement from Kaine’s office read. Kaine is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
A full classified briefing will take place early next week, the NSC spokesman said.
Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Chairman of the External Relations Subcommittee, also called for transparency.
“Congress should maintain this administration to the same standard as previous administrations and demand clear legal justifications for military action, especially inside theaters such as Syria, where Congress has not explicitly authorized any U.S. military action,” he said. Murphy in a statement Friday.
A representative for Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat in the Senate, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Thursday, Biden led U.S. military airstrikes in eastern Syria against facilities belonging to what the Pentagon said were Iranian-backed militias in response to recent missile attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq.
In a February 15 attack, missiles struck the US military base in Irbil, in the Kurdish region, killing a non-US contractor and injuring a number of US contractors and a member of the US service. Another rescue hit a base hosting US forces north of Baghdad days later, injuring at least one entrepreneur. On Monday, missiles hit the green area of Baghdad, which houses the US embassy and other diplomatic missions.
“It is difficult to say with certainty whether there is a strategic calculation leading to this … the recent increase in attacks or whether this is just a continuation of the types of attacks we have seen in the past,” the press secretary said. of the Pentagon, John Kirby. a briefing on Monday.
“We will hold Iran responsible for the attacks, the challenges of its representatives,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday. The rocket attack from Irbil “remains under active investigation,” he said.
The American airstrikes on Thursday brought Biden some rare praise from across the aisle. Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., thanked Biden for the move.
In 2018, then-President Donald Trump ordered military strikes in Syria. The move has also drawn criticism from Democrats.
“The president must come to Congress and get an authorization to use military force, proposing a comprehensive strategy with clear objectives that will keep our army safe,” Pelosi said. posted on Twitter then.
– Reuters contributed to the report.