Vermont’s sole member of the U.S. House said he doesn’t buy President Donald Trump’s rationale for killing Iran’s top general last week and called for a congressional probe into the decision that has roiled the Middle East and thrust the United States into direct confrontation with Iran.
“Let me be frank: I don’t believe what the president has said about the plan,” Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said at a press conference Tuesday before boarding a plane to Washington, D.C., where Congress reconvenes this week. “I want to have public hearings to get to the bottom of this.”
Welch, a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, echoed statements by its chair, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who on Monday cast doubt on the unspecified intelligence cited by the Trump administration that Qassim Suleimani, leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, was plotting “imminent” attacks against the U.S.
Unlike Schiff, Welch has yet to review any intelligence used to justify the drone strike that killed Suleimani and six others at Baghdad International Airport on January 2. He said he plans to review the classified material this week.
Welch nonetheless characterized the strike as reckless and impulsive and said it has already led to insecurity abroad. Repeating a recent Schiff quote in the Washington Post almost verbatim, Welch said Trump “was table-hopping down in Mar-a-Lago when he made this decision.”
“Amateur hour is in charge at the White House,” he said.
In casting doubt Tuesday on the administration’s assertion that Suleimani was planning an imminent attack, Welch referred to Iraqi and Iranian officials’ recent statements that Suleimani had traveled to Baghdad for diplomatic discussions.
Earlier Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ridiculed that notion, rhetorically asking reporters in Washington if there was “any history that would indicate it was remotely possible that this kind gentleman, this diplomat of great order, Qassim Suleimani, had traveled to Baghdad for the idea of conducting a peace mission?” CNN reported.
Welch called Pompeo’s assertion that the strike made Americans safer “absurd.”
He pledged to “be a voice for deescalation” in Congress.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) plans to introduce a resolution under the War Powers Act this week to curtail the president’s military actions against Iran. Welch said he will support it, as well as related legislation introduced in both chambers last Friday by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would bar the use of funds for military force against Iran without congressional authorization. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has signed on to the Senate legislation.
“After authorizing a disastrous, $738 billion military budget that placed no restrictions on this president from starting an unauthorized war with Iran, Congress now has an opportunity to change course,” Sanders and Khanna said in a joint statement.
“We must invest in the needs of the American people, not spend trillions more on endless wars,” they said.
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The better question for Welch would be what was the Obama Admin’s rationale for doing absolutely NOTHING for 8 years against a high level terrorist (who they labeled as such) with over 600 American kills attributed to him?
Trump’s actions were completely lawful after an american contractor was killed and our sovereign embassy in Iraq was attacked and fire bombed. Trump is not going to be benghazied like the last administration was and General Soleimani will not be behind any more American deaths going forward.
Peter does not buy what Trump did here, or what he said about his rationale. He might want to be briefed before replaying DNC/Schiff talking points. Let’s see…
5/19 – Iran attacks oil tankers in Gulf
6/19 – Iran shoots down a US drone
7/19 – Iran seizes a British oil tanker
9/19 – Iran attacks Saudi oil company
12/19 – Iran attacks US military bases in Iraq
12/19 – Iran proxies storm US Embassy in Iraq
This terrorist, as President Obama labeled him, was behind all the above and has American blood on his hands for the past 20+ years! He was a badass and now he’s dead. Think the world is safer? I do.
Iran is used to US Presidents who appease. Did Obama get Congressional approval to send billions of taxpayer’s dollars to Iran to get them to sign nuclear deal? A deal Iran never intended to follow? This guy that Trump took out helped negotiate the deal with Kerry. He pocketed millions. Where’s the outrage?
Pete’s doing what he does best, tow the line of the DNC. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he’s just using his vast experience with foreign policy and dealing with terrorists.
Trump says he didn’t have time to notify Congress but yet had time to play golf, talk to his boyfriend Putin and tweet Don Jr to let them know what he was doing?
This so called president has no idea how to be one but thank god he’ll be booted out either before the next election or he’ll be voted out!
Trump ordered a drone strike when the opportunity presented itself to take out a terrorist who was responsible for hundreds of US deaths and thousands of civilian deaths. Trump did more to put Iran in its place than Obama did releasing the billions that paid for the terrorism Iran is spreading.
It is embarrassing that Welch is our representative.
Welch, Vermont does not need a poster boy for the DNC/Clinton globalist agenda. If you can’t use the brain in your head to see what’s really going on, then you’re useless. Give the job to someone who can, and who has the guts to do so.