SCRANTON — The U.S. air strike that left a high-ranking Iranian military official dead is drawing response from Pennsylvania lawmakers in Washington, and response is largely split along party lines.
The strike, carried out earlier this week as directed by the Trump administration, led to the death of General Qasam Soleimani, leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, on Friday in Iraq.
While Soleimani was designated as a terrorist by the United States, his death is likely to increase already looming tensions between Washington and Tehran, with Iran promising “harsh retaliation” in response.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, defends the killing of the general, saying he “should have been taken out” years ago.
Congressmen and senators representing the state and our region have begun issuing responses to the air strike, with Republicans praising Trump’s decision and Democrats asking for the legal basis of it.
Toomey
Senator Pat Toomey, R-Zionsville, said in a statement that Soleimani’s death is a good thing for the safety of Americans, saying Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans.
“The world is a better place now that he is dead,” Toomey wrote. “Every American should be grateful to our armed forces who carried out this strike with incredible skill and precision. The Trump administration was right to restore deterrence against Iran.”
Casey
Senator Bob Casey, D-Scranton, had a more lukewarm response. While he did echo Toomey in saying that the world is safer after Soleimani’s death, he said the Trump administration must provide a briefing to Congress about the legal basis of the strike and the nature of the threat that led to the air strike.
“I have grave concerns that President Trump and his Administration have not provided the American people with a comprehensive strategy on Iran,” Casey wrote in his statement. “Finally, this and other recent actions by the Administration have been taken without a Congressionally-approved Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).”
Cartwright
At an event at the Gino J. Merli Veterans’ Center in Scranton on Friday, Representative Matt Cartwright, D-Scranton, had a response similar to Casey’s while speaking with reporters.
“You won’t find a whole lot of people shedding a whole lot of tears over the Iranian military leader that was killed,” Cartwright said. “He was a bad guy.”
Cartwright went on to say Soleimani’s actions led to the deaths of hundreds of American servicemen, but he said he had some issues with the way the Trump administration went about it.
“While we may not disagree with the result, there is some disagreement about the method,” Cartwright said, adding that there should have been an AUMF approved by Congress, instead of the mission moving ahead without Congressional approval.
Meuser
Representative Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, echoed Toomey more closely in his response, noting that Soleimani’s actions led to an attack that resulted in another death of a U.S. defense contractor only last week.
“This mission was intelligence-based and aimed at deterring an imminent Iranian attack against American diplomats and service members, which Soleimani was actively developing,” Meuser wrote. “The United States will always defend its national interests, both at home and abroad, and we should all commend and thank our U.S. military for its efforts to protect American lives.”