Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on Sunday that President Donald Trump was fully authorized to order military strikes against Iran, just by being president.
Graham said members of Congress who want to enforce the War Powers Act to gain control of what Trump is doing against Iran are "wrong." Graham told NBC that Trump "was within his Article II authority. Congress can declare war or cut off funding."
Article II of the Constitution spells out the duties and responsibilities of the office of the president, including the designation of the president as commander in chief of the military.
The senator argued that there's only one president. And the president is not a member of Congress. "We can't be the commander in chief. You can't have 535 commander in chiefs. If you don't like what the president does in terms of war, you can cut off the funding."
Graham pointed out that many presidents have ordered military action without an official declaration of war. "We've declared war five times in the history of America. All of these other military operations were lawful. He [Trump] had all the authority he needs under the Constitution."
Trump announced late Saturday that he ordered bombing attacks against Iran's nuclear weapon processing plants that followed more than a week's worth of attacks by Israel. Israel began its strikes against Iran's nuclear sites and top leaders when negotiations over the weapons program with Iran came to a standstill.
Graham said Trump's order was the right thing to do. "I thought it was bold, quite frankly, brilliant, militarily necessary, and most importantly, effective."
The senator added he had talked with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told him Israel was "profoundly grateful" for Trump's decision to take direct action against Iran.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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