Tulsi Gabbard Says Donald Trump Has ‘Gone To War With Iran’
Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard made an appearance on Fox News on Friday and addressed the airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani with host Bill Hemmer. She was pressed to defend her claim that Soleimani’s death brings Iran closer to a nuclear weapon and paves the way for the resurgence of Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.
“Well, let’s first of all address the issue that the Constitution, written by our founders, intentionally places the responsibility of deciding whether or not to declare war within the hands of Congress,” Gabbard began.
The Hawaii Rep. echoed many critics of the assassination and noted that Donald Trump requires authorization from Congress to make such a decision.
“If he wants to go to war with Iran, then come to Congress and say why he feels that’s important for our national security. That did not happen.”
Hemmer claimed Trump has not expressed intent to go to war with Iran, which Gabbard suggested was irrelevant to his actions.
“Well, he has gone to war with Iran. That’s the reality of the situation,” she said.
The 38-year-old politician noted that Iran is no longer complying with the Iran nuclear agreement — formally known as the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — and is inching closer to the development of a nuclear weapon. Iran is reportedly four to six months away from obtaining the uranium necessary to develop a nuclear weapon, which is a bit farther than the two- to three-month timeline established before the JCPOA.
Gabbard continued to claim that the United States military in Iraq has been ordered to shift their focus from working with partners to prevent ISIS and Al-Qaeda from resurfacing to defending themselves against Iranian forces and Iranian-backed Shia militias. According to Gabbard, this shift in focus will leave a vacuum that could be filled by terrorists.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, blowback for Soelimani’s killing, which will be difficult to tie to Iran, has already begun. The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) vowed revenge against America, with one protestor suggesting retribution will come unexpectedly, as Iran’s attacks have historically been. In addition, an Al-Shabab group operating out of Somalia recently killed an American serviceman and two American contractors in Kenya.
Gabbard, who previously attacked the Trump administration’s war with Iran, claimed that this act has undermined U.S. national security. Her comments are supported by data that reveals a spike in the number of attacks from Iran-backed militant groups from six in 2017 after the JCPOA, to 40 in 2018, following Trump’s decision to withdraw America from the agreement.
