By Gloria Ogbonna
During an appearance on Katy Tur Reports on MSNBC Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) strongly criticized the recent military strikes against Iran authorized by President Donald Trump, describing the action as an “illegal war of choice” and warning that it bypasses Congress’s constitutional authority.
Baldwin said she had attended the same classified intelligence briefing given to lawmakers regarding the strikes and claimed that the information presented behind closed doors did not align with the public explanations the president has given over the past several weeks.
“I was in that very same classified briefing yesterday,” Baldwin said. “And what I can tell you is that the reasons we’ve been hearing from Donald Trump publicly about why he ordered military action in Iran are completely incongruous with what we were told in those briefings.”
According to Baldwin, the administration has repeatedly changed its justification for the military action, creating confusion about the true objectives of the operation. She pointed out that in recent weeks the president has offered multiple and sometimes conflicting explanations.
“You may recall that several weeks ago President Trump said he was concerned about the protesters in Iran who were standing up to their government because of terrible economic conditions,” Baldwin said. “He talked about the possibility of military action in support of those protesters.”
She continued by noting that the administration’s rationale soon shifted to other security concerns.
“Then the focus turned to Iran’s ballistic missile program,” she explained. “After that, the president began talking about their nuclear program. And then the conversation moved to the idea of regime change.”
Baldwin argued that the constantly changing explanations raise serious questions about the administration’s strategy and motives for launching the strikes.
“He has had a different rationale for going into Iran — sometimes it feels like by the hour,” she said. “That only reinforces my belief that this is a war of choice, not a war of necessity.”
The Wisconsin senator also argued that the military action violates constitutional limits on presidential war powers. Under the U.S. Constitution, the authority to declare war rests with Congress, though presidents have often ordered military operations without formal declarations of war.
“This action is so illegal and so reckless,” Baldwin said. “Our Constitution is very clear that it is Congress that has the power to authorize wars, not a president acting unilaterally.”
Baldwin warned that allowing the executive branch to bypass Congress could set a dangerous precedent for future military conflicts.
“That’s exactly why the founders created a system of checks and balances,” she said. “They wanted to make sure that no single branch of government could drag the country into war without the consent of the American people through their representatives.”
The senator concluded by urging lawmakers—particularly Republicans in the Senate—to assert their constitutional role and challenge the administration’s actions.
“I’m calling on my Republican colleagues to remember what their job is,” Baldwin said. “We are supposed to serve as a check and balance on the executive branch. We are not here to be a rubber stamp for this administration.”
Her remarks come as debate intensifies in Washington over the legality, cost, and long-term consequences of the United States’ expanding military involvement in the Middle East.
Lawmakers from both parties are increasingly demanding more transparency from the administration about the objectives and strategy behind the strikes on Iran.
Source Breitbart
Original article
Comments