Moulton Condemns Trump and Johnson Over Iran Military Action, Calls for Congressional Vote
Democratic Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts launched a scathing critique against President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, on Saturday morning. This followed a joint U.S. and Israeli military strike on Iran, with Moulton asserting that there are currently no discussions about Congress reconvening to vote on a war powers resolution.
"Weakest Speaker in American History"
In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Moulton did not mince words regarding Speaker Johnson's leadership. "Not under the completely feckless Mike Johnson. I think he will go down as the weakest speaker in American history, and he's not talking about calling us back at all," Moulton stated. He noted that while some members of Congress, including a few Republicans, are advocating for a vote on a war powers resolution later next week, he views this timing as critically delayed. "But of course, that's a week late," he emphasized.
Operation Epic Fury and Regime Change Ambitions
President Trump announced on Saturday what he termed "major combat operations in Iran," with the defense department designating the mission as "Operation Epic Fury." In his address, Trump called on the Iranian people to "take over" their government, signaling a clear pursuit of regime change. The president justified the attack by citing Iran's continued development of its nuclear program and plans to create missiles capable of reaching the United States.
Moulton sharply criticized the lack of strategic clarity from the administration. "There's no strategy underlying what we're doing," he argued. "He can't even clearly articulate to the American people, and therefore to our troops, exactly what objective they're trying to achieve."
Mixed Reactions and Congressional Briefings
The military strike elicited a range of responses, with some praising the operation and others condemning the absence of Congressional approval. Speaker Johnson defended the action, stating that key congressional leaders, known as "The Gang of 8," had been thoroughly briefed earlier in the week on potential military measures "to protect American troops and American citizens in Iran." In a social media post, Johnson asserted, "Today, Iran is facing the severe consequences of its evil actions. President Trump and the Administration have made every effort to pursue peaceful and diplomatic solutions in response to the Iranian regime's sustained nuclear ambitions and development, terrorism, and the murder..."
Warnings of Casualties and Constitutional Concerns
President Trump cautioned the public after the operation that "the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties." He framed the mission as a forward-looking endeavor, stating, "That often happens in war. But we're doing this not for now. We're doing this for the future. And it is a noble mission."
Moulton countered by insisting that Congress "should be authorizing this" and expressed grave concerns about the parallels to past conflicts. "This sounds an awful lot, lot like it could be Iraq War, 2.0," he warned. He highlighted constitutional mandates, pointing out that "The President didn't even try to explain that this was just a limited strike. He said outright, this is war. These are major combat operations, and under the Constitution, that means Congress must vote on whether or not we send American troops to war."
Allegations of Foreign Influence
Moulton further escalated his criticism with a pointed remark about Trump's allegiances. "It seems that the only person that Trump cares about getting permission from is Benjamin Netanyahu," he stated, referring to the Israeli Prime Minister. "He hasn't asked the American people. He hasn't asked the U.S. Congress. He just got the go ahead from Benjamin Netanyahu, and now we're at war," Moulton concluded, underscoring his belief that domestic democratic processes were bypassed in favor of foreign approval.
