House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has called for public congressional hearings into the U.S. strikes in Iraq that killed Iranian military officials, including Quds Force Cmdr. Qassem Soleimani.
Schiff, a California Democrat who led the House impeachment investigation, told the Washington Post: “I think there should be open hearings on this subject. The president has put us on a path where we may be at war with Iran. That requires the Congress to fully engage.”
Defense Department officials on Wednesday will begin briefing Congress on the strikes, but will do so in a closed-door setting.
Trump last week sent top congressional leaders and their staff a justification for the strike, but the material is classified. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CBS on Sunday that some of the information cannot be declassified.
“There are things you simply cannot share,” Pompeo said. “There are valuable information streams that we must protect. We will need them in the days and weeks ahead. And we will never present the risk to the United States by putting at risk that valuable information.”
Top Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, are demanding Trump declassify the notification.
Democrats do not support Trump’s decision to strike.
Schiff told CNN on Sunday the move will detract from U.S. efforts to defeat terrorism in the region.
“I don’t think the intelligence supports the conclusion that removing Soleimani increases our security,” Schiff said.
