MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th January, 2020) US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that President Donald Trump's formal notice of the recent airstrike that killed a top Iranian military commander in Iraq, which was sent to Congress, raised questions about the timing, manner and justification of the decision.
The strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, took place on Friday and met criticism from Pelosi who said the administration had not consulted with lawmakers before conducting it. On Saturday, the administration filed the formal notification with the Congress.
"This classified War Powers Act notification delivered to Congress raises more questions than it answers. This document prompts serious and urgent questions about the timing, manner and justification of the Administration's decision to engage in hostilities against Iran. The highly unusual decision to classify this document in its entirety compounds our many concerns, and suggests that the Congress and the American people are being left in the dark about our national security," Pelosi said in a statement late on Saturday.
"The Trump Administration's provocative, escalatory and disproportionate military engagement continues to put servicemembers, diplomats and citizens of America and our allies in danger. This initiation of hostilities was taken without an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iran, without the consultation of the Congress and without the articulation of a clear and legitimate strategy to either the Congress or the public," the statement read.
Pelosi also once against called on the Trump administration to inform the Congress on the US military engagement related to Iran and plans under consideration.
"The Administration must work with the Congress to advance a bonafide de-escalatory strategy that prevents further violence," Pelosi argued.
As news about Soleimani's killing emerged, Pelosi, a Trump critic, slammed the move, saying it would lead to an outbreak of violence in the middle East. The House speaker also urged the administration to brief lawmakers about the need to boost military presence in the region, which was announced in the wake of the operation that killed Soleimani.
