Senate Republican Leader John Thune told reporters that the Trump administration needs to consult with Congress on a potential conflict with Iran, after a virtual briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
“I think that obviously, the consultation, etc., everything needs to happen. We’ll see,” he said, though he noted that he thinks the administration has yet to decide whether it will strike Iran.
“At this point, there’s a lot of … evidence of activity in the region,” he said, adding that he doesn’t have anything to say on “decisions that have been made on that.”
Top Democrats leaving the briefing urged the administration to “make their case” publicly as it weighs the possibility of strikes on Iran.
The briefing was provided to the so-called Gang of Eight, which includes the top party leaders in each chamber, as well as the top Republicans and Democrats on the House and Senate Intelligence committees.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters afterward, “This is serious, and the administration has to make its case to the American people.”
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, thanked Rubio for the briefing, and agreed that the president must explain his policy on Iran to the voters.
“I think it is incumbent upon the president to make the case what our country’s goals are, what our country’s interests are, and how we’re going to protect American interests in the region. Maybe we’ll hear that tonight, but if we don’t hear it tonight, we need to hear it very, very soon,” he said.