Trump spins ‘meaningless, unpatriotic’ Iran war powers rebuke after House Republicans revolt against his authority

Trump spins ‘meaningless, unpatriotic’ Iran war powers rebuke after House Republicans revolt against his authority EXCLUSIVE: President doubles down on attack against Congress in phone call with The Independent - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments President Donald Trump on Thursday slammed Congress’ efforts to restrain him from launching new attacks against Iran without their approval and said he wasn’t concerned about the Senate joining the House of Representatives in adopting a resolution invoking the 1973 War Powers Act against him. In a brief phone interview with The Independent, Trump said he was “not concerned” about the legislation to rein him in following a close House of Representatives vote to do the same a day earlier. “It's a meaningless, unpatriotic waste of time, very unpatriotic to do, but that's okay — it means nothing,” he said. He then added that “everybody” involved was “grandstanding.” The president’s brief remarks doubled down on scathing criticism for the House vote — and the four members of his own party who’d aligned with Democrats to advance the legislation directing him to “remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran” under a post-Vietnam War law intended to give Congress more of a say in the president’s use of military force. Earlier in the day on Thursday, Trump took to Truth Social to savage the “four bad Republicans” — Reps. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — for joining 211 members of the opposition in support of the legislation authored by Rep. Greg Meeks, D-N.Y., the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He groused that the House had voted to “limit my War Powers, right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran” and accused Democrats of being “fueled by Trump Derangement Syndrome” while saying they “would rather have our Country fail than give me another, of many, victories.” “The four Republicans, that’s a whole other story,” he said, adding later that quartet in question consisted of “grandstanders” who “should be ashamed of themselves.” Trump’s comments come less than a day after the successful House vote, the fourth such effort by the lower chamber to invoke the War Powers Act on Iran. Under that Nixon-era law, the president must withdraw troops within 60 days of a military engagement unless Congress declares war or authorizes the use of military force. The president must also inform Congress within 48 of committing armed forces into action. That vote took place just as Trump was downplaying the significance of yet another exchange of fire between the U.S. and Iran even as talks to end the conflict continue amid a ceasefire that the president insists is still in effect. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office for an impromptu press conference Wednesday afternoon, Trump dismissed questions on whether the shaky ceasefire with Iran is holding by suggesting that the definition of a ceasefire is different in the Middle East region. Asked whether the ceasefire is still in place after Iran fired missiles against targets in Kuwait, Trump replied that there was “a reason” for the exchange of fire. “We've been hitting them pretty hard, a little bit, ... but some people would say they were slightly provoked because we took a strong action for a different reason, so they were reciprocating,” he said. “It's a different part of the world, you know. I'd say in that part a ceasefire is when you're shooting in a more moderate manner.” More follows... Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments