The president and his administration are still struggling to justify the war against Iran
In his latest instance on constitutional arson, President Donald Trump informed reporters on Friday that it would actually be against the foundational laws of the nation to ask Congress to authorize the war in Iran.
“No other country has ever done it,” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House ahead of his departure to Florida for the weekend, in response to a question about whether he is going to seek congressional authorization for the war now that it has been going on for 60 days. “Most people consider it totally unconstitutional. No other country has done it. We’re in the midst of a big victory.”
The Constitution is crystal clear: Congress holds the power to “declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water.” While presidents have taken a loose interpretation of what counts as war and what counts as an authorization, there is no question as to what branch of government has the power to authorize armed conflict. Congress has formally declared war 11 times in U.S. history, including World War I and World War II.
The reporter who asked Trump about seeking congressional approval brought up that the war was now two months old for a reason. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 holds that if Congress doesn’t authorize the use of force against another nation within 60 days of when it is first initiated, the president must terminate the use of force. Trump is trying to skirt the law by informing Congress that the conflict is over, maintaining that operations halted when the two countries agreed to a temporary ceasefire in early April.
“Let me just tell you, on the war powers, so many presidents, as you know, have gone and exceeded it,” Trump added on Friday. “It’s never been used. It’s never been adhered to. And every other president considered it totally unconstitutional. And we agree with that.”
In the same press gaggle, Trump said that he was considering resuming large scale artillery warfare against Iran to “just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever.” The threat came just moments after informing the press that Iran had presented a new deal, but that he was “not satisfied” with it. “So we’ll see what happens. Iran wants to make a deal because they have no military left, essentially, and they want to make a deal. But I’m not satisfied with it.”
