WA Rep. Jayapal: ‘No evidence’ of attack against US before Iranian general was killed

Washington state Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal spoke out Wednesday against the recent conflict in Iran, that saw the assassination of a top Iranian general, and then a retaliatory missile strike against U.S. bases in the region on Wednesday.

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“This is the result of reckless actions of military brinksmanship,” Rep. Jayapal said, speaking on behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

The killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, marked a major escalation in the standoff between Washington and Iran, which has careened from one crisis to another since President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions.

According to the Trump Administration, that strike was authorized to head off what it claims was an imminent strike against the U.S., masterminded by the Iranian general. That claim, though, has been called into question in the days since Soleimani’s killing.

Rep. Jayapal: Iran conflict ‘nothing short of a disaster,’

“If there is evidence there, we have not seen it,” Jayapal said. “(President Trump) had no evidence of an imminent attack, and we say that coming from a classified briefing, where again, there was no raw evidence presented that there was an imminent threat.”

Jayapal and the rest of the Progressive caucus called for a full repeal of the authorization for use of military force passed by Congress that allowed for an incursion into Iraq in 2002. Some in the Trump Administration have cited that act as justification for Soleimani’s killing sans further Congressional approval, since it took place on Iraqi soil near a Baghdad airport.

“All of this has made us less safe,” said Jayapal. “… This just seems to be the reckless action of a President who thinks he can act without Congressional authorization.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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