Senator Bernie Sanders: Trump's strikes on Syria 'illegal and unauthorized'

Sen. Bernie Sanders is condemning Friday's military strikes on Syria as "illegal and unauthorized."

"It is Congress, not the president, which has the constitutional responsibility for making war," Sanders said in a statement shortly before midnight on Friday.

After 17 years of war in Afghanistan and 15 years of war in Iraq, the Middle East needs a political strategy to bring peace, not more American military intervention, Sanders said.

More: Leahy, Sanders, Welch want to hear Trump's Syria plan

Sanders said he believed the international community should uphold the prohibitions on the use of chemical weapons, but said it was unclear how Trump's strikes on Syria would achieve that goal.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt,. also said it is up to Congress to declare war.

Leahy issued this statement Saturday about the missile attack:

"The use of chemical weapons is a crime against humanity that calls for an appropriate response. But it is Congress' responsibility to declare war. Threatening the use of military force by tweet, and firing off missiles without a coherent policy or clear legal authority, raises obvious dangers and constitutional concerns and risks drawing us into a wider war. The President needs to be crystal clear with the American people and with the Congress about what our goals are in Syria and how he intends to achieve them."

Rep. Peter Welch said Saturday morning that Trump must seek authority for military action from Congress "immediately."

Welch called Syrian dictator Bashar Assad's repeated use of chemical weapons "an egregious violation of international law," and added that the missile strikes were "an appropriate response to this atrocity."

"However, it occurred in a context where the United States has no clear policy in Syria or the region and at a time when there is real potential for escalation into a conflict with Russia and Iran," the Democratic Congressman wrote on Twitter.

Sanders, along with Leahy and Peter Welch, urged Trump earlier this month to consult with Congress before taking military action.

President Donald Trump announced Friday night that he had ordered precision missile strikes, in coordination with British and French allies. The attacks, which targeted a scientific research center near Damascus, a chemical weapons storage facility west of Homs, and a storage facility and command post near Homs, were intended to deter the use of chemical weapons.

Trump said the United States was prepared to continue the attacks until the Syrian regime stops using chemical weapons.

Saturday morning Trump tweeted to praise the military.

"A perfectly executed strike last night," he wrote. "Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!"

Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @jess_aloe