Retired Gen. James “Spider” Marks slammed Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy for complaining that President Trump did not consult Congress before killing Qassem Soleimani.
Marks, a CNN analyst and major general who served in Iraq, appeared on New Day to weigh in on Trump’s decision to kill Soleimani in a drone strike on Thursday. Soleimani, an Iranian general responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers, was killed after weeks of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran in the wake of the killing of an American contractor and an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.
During the interview, Marks was asked to respond to a tweet from the Connecticut senator in which he questioned the president’s decision to kill Soleimani without consulting Congress.
“Soleimani was an enemy of the United States. That’s not a question. The question is this – as reports suggest, did America just assassinate, without any congressional authorization, the second most powerful person in Iran, knowingly setting off a potential massive regional war?” Murphy asked.
He added: “The justification for the assassination is to ‘deter future Iranian attacks’. One reason we don’t generally assassinate foreign political officials is the belief that such action will get more, not less, Americans killed. That should be our real, pressing and grave worry tonight.”
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Soleimani was an enemy of the United States. That’s not a question.
The question is this – as reports suggest, did America just assassinate, without any congressional authorization, the second most powerful person in Iran, knowingly setting off a potential massive regional war?
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) January 3, 2020
The justification for the assasination is to “deter future Iranian attacks”.
One reason we don’t generally assasinate foreign political officials is the belief that such action will get more, not less, Americans killed.
That should be our real, pressing and grave worry tonight.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) January 3, 2020
Marks ripped Murphy’s criticism, saying: “What I would say to Sen. Murphy is, why don’t you just be quiet? When has Iran ever demonstrated self-restraint? I mean, that’s the question I have. So is the world more dangerous today? Maybe it’s more dangerous, but when has it not been dangerous?”
He added, “When have we not been a target of a regime like exists in Tehran, I mean it happens as a matter of routine.”
Marks suggested that the intelligence community had likely been tracking Soleimani for weeks ahead of Trump’s decision. In the wake of the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, the “opportunity presented itself” for Americans to strike.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo noted that the decision to kill Soleimani was directly connected to an imminent threat facing the American people. He claimed that Trump’s decisiveness in killing Soleimani “saved American lives.”
Despite Pompeo’s claims of imminent danger, several Democrats beyond Murphy have questioned Trump’s decision not to consult Congress before issuing the strike. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement Friday morning demanding a briefing for the full Congress.
