“We have a president who has had, really, a failure in his Iranian policy, who’s had no larger, strategic plan and has made that region less stable and less safe,” he continued.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota released a statement , saying that “the timing, manner, and potential consequences of the Administration’s actions raise serious questions and concerns about an escalating conflict.”
“The Administration needs to fully consult with Congress on its decision-making, response plans, and strategy for preventing a wider conflict,” she concluded.
Presidential election 2020: Marianne Williamson lays off entire campaign staff
Author Marianne Williamson stated that “The killing of Soleimani is extremely serious, and will almost certainly cause a significant reaction from Iran. It’s not that Soleimani was a good man; he was not. But that’s not what this is about. It’s about the wise versus unwise, responsible versus irresponsible use of military power.”
“Now the president has called for deploying 3,000 more troops to the Middle East. Make no mistake about it, this is an extremely dangerous moment for our country and for our world,” she continued. “Every American must realize that war with Iran would be catastrophic.”
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, released a video, declaring that “Trump’s actions last night in bombing the Baghdad airport with the targeted killing of Iran’s top military general was an act of war.”
She additionally appeared on Fox News Friday morning and quipped that “there is no question about how evil this guy is. No one should shed a single tear for his death. But that’s not really the question here. The real question is, what are we trying to accomplish here in this country and where will this decision that this president made to escalate these tensions and this crisis and commit this act of war without congressional authorization?”
More: Pompeo says attack that killed Iran military leader Qasem Soleimani was in response to ‘imminent attack’
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg released a statement that said, “Without more information, we can only hope that the president has carefully thought through the national security implications of this attack for our country and the grave risks involved. But given his track record and his history of making reckless and impulsive decisions that undermine U.S. strategic objections and weaken our allies — most recently in Syria — there is every reason to be deeply concerned.”
Businessman Andrew Yang tweeted that “War with Iran is the last thing we need and is not the will of the American people. We should be acting to deescalate tensions and protect our people in the region.”
“I have signed a pledge to end the Forever Wars. We have been in a constant state of armed conflict for 19 years at a disastrous cost to both our people and our resources. This must end,” he continued.
Deval Patrick , former Massachusetts governor, acknowledged that Soleimani was “a menace to the world and to peace-loving people everywhere” but continued that “a difficult situation is becoming more dangerous because of a lack of leadership.”
“Americans deserve a leader who they can trust in moments like these. The President owes the American people and the world an explanation of his strategy and what the next steps will be going forward,” he concluded.
More: Angry protests erupt after US airstrike kills Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani
Billionaire Tom Steyer tweeted a thread that read, “Soleimani was a terrorist responsible for killing Americans. But this wasn’t authorized by Congress and is an escalation that risks a wider war with Iran. Mr. Trump risks making a bad situation worse with reckless action.”
“It is essential that we protect American service members and citizens throughout the region while working with our allies to prevent further escalation that could lead to a devastating war that Americans do not want,” he concluded.
Rep. John Delaney , D- Md., tweeted that “While Soleimani was directly responsible for the deaths of countless lives, including many Americans, and was a significant danger to our troops and a destabilizing force in the region and deserved to be brought to justice for his actions against our troops, the Administration’s failure to brief Congressional leadership on this action is troubling and raises the risk of reckless actions that could lead to a dangerous escalation.”
Sen. Michael Bennet tweeted , “Donald Trump is the weakest foreign policy president in my lifetime. This was a terribly reckless and provocative act. It’s the latest in a long string of non-strategic choices that he has made in the Middle East that have weakened our position and strengthened Iran’s.”
Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen, Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY
Comments