Friday on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters that President Donald Trump “must have the authority of Congress” before he initiated military conflict with Iran.

Pelosi said, “I think the message was bipartisan in terms of de-escalating based on a couple of things. First of all, we have no illusions about Iran. It’s a very dangerous country, and there are divisions within the country about hard-liners versus others. There was bipartisan consensus that we didn’t want to do anything that would strengthen the hand of hard-liners in Iran because that just makes matters worse. The consensus that we should be working with our allies in whatever we do and calibrating a response that is strategic and serious about the challenge we face. And bipartisanship as to what are our objectives in the region. We have to protect American interests, but how do we define what they are? And so we left with the idea that the president was going to consider some options. I did not receive any heads up that there was a strike that was in the works. Maybe the other leaders did on the Republican side, but I did not receive any of that. And that would be a departure. The president has informed us, for example, in Syria, before we went in.”

She continued, “We don’t know how imminent the strike was, we hear different things, but a strike of that amount of collateral damage would be very provocative, and I’m glad that the President did not take that. I think there are many options that are not kinetic, as they say, a strike on the country, that might be more useful. Those are options the president might be considering, but let me be very clear, the Democrats in the meeting —House and Senate Democrats— were very clear that Congress must act. He must have the authority of Congress before we initiate military hostilities into Iran.”

A reporter asked, “The president seems to suggest that he found out about the apparent death toll if they had gone through with the strike just moments they would have conducted the strike. Isn’t that something you think he should have known about beforehand?”

Pelosi said, “You know, I don’t know the timing of when the president learned the consequences of it. I don’t even know how off the ground these planes were. That’s something you just have to ask the White House. It would make sense if you are considering options that you know what the consequences are before you make a decision to go forward.”

(h/t RCP Video)

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