Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., told Newsmax on Wednesday that Democrats have shown they would rather delay action on Iran than confront the regime's nuclear ambitions.
The comments by Harrigan on "National Report" came as senior national security officials testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on threats to the homeland amid Operation Epic Fury.
Harrigan, a Green Beret combat veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, pointed to Democrats' questioning during the hearing as revealing their broader posture on Iran.
"I think the Democrats are being very clear that they would have rather just continued kicking the can down the road for another 47 years," he said, arguing that past administrations failed to address the threat decisively.
Harrigan praised President Donald Trump's approach as a long-overdue shift toward direct action against a destabilizing adversary.
"President Trump just got to the point where he said, "You know what? These guys have been a pain in our rear end and a pain in all of our allies' rear ends for so long,'" he said, adding that Iran "want[s] chaos instead of commerce."
Harrigan emphasized that the administration's strategy reflects urgency in dealing with Tehran's influence across the Middle East.
"We just cannot leave this to our kids," he said. "We have to solve this problem once and for all."
Harrigan accused Democrats of opposing Trump reflexively rather than engaging on the substance of national security policy.
"This is more politics than anything else," he said. "Disagreeing with President Trump for the sake of disagreeing with President Trump."
Harrigan also warned that the threats outlined in the intelligence community's latest assessment extend beyond Iran, citing China and vulnerabilities at home.
He sharply criticized Democrats over what he described as a failure to adequately fund and support homeland security efforts.
"The threats are bigger than they ever have been," Harrigan said. "And the Democrats are fundamentally failing to protect American citizens. Period. End of story."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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