CNN anchor Brianna Keilar called out a Republican for using President Donald Trump's talking points during a fiery interview Thursday.
Keilar was interviewing Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) about the ongoing questions surrounding lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea, just off the coast of Venezuela, and whether Congress was readying for an escalated offense against the country. That's when the conversation got heated.
"He has said no less than 17 times in recent months that land strikes could be coming soon," Keilar said, referring to Trump signaling that the United States could advance attacks on land.
"Yeah, well, I'm just telling you, the briefings we've got, we aren't currently engaged in hostilities directly against Venezuela," Davidson responded. "The boats are not flagged. Venezuelan boats. And what people are calling a blockade is really more of — is targeting sanctioned oil ships. It's not like we're blocking all shipments going in and out of Venezuela."
Keilar pressed Davidson further.
"What — you mean by people, do you mean Trump? Because he called it a blockade," Keilar asked.
"The language is blockade. But the reality is what's going on isn't closure of everything going in and out of the country. It's a targeted enforcement action," Davidson said.
Keilar pushed back with a sharp question.
"The language of the president is blockade. So he's wrong?" Keilar asked.
"It's not a blockade. A blockade would be that there's no flow of goods in and out of Venezuela. So those are distinctions," Davidson added. "And what we're doing is enforcing current law. The administration is clearly not in violation of the War Powers Resolution, currently. And it's also clear, though, as I said in my statement, that if we did engage directly, let's say we deploy Marines on the ground in Venezuela that does cross the war powers and the United States."
Davidson said that the Constitution is clear about how war works and that he's talked to Secretary of State Marco Rubio about it.
"But you said, and I want to focus on war powers, because I know it's something that you're so concerned about," Keilar pushed back. "You said you have high confidence they will seek congressional authority on this. Do you have total confidence because the Trump administration is actually seeking a separate legal opinion to DOJ to provide a justification for launching strikes against land targets in Venezuela? This is what we reported last month. According to a U.S. official. Without getting congressional authorization, though, no decisions have been made yet to move forward with an attack. They were looking for how to do this legally without Congress okaying it."
Davidson admitted that Trump is frustrated with Congress and with their response to the strikes.
"The reality is the Trump administration has provided the briefings. It has communicated. And that's why I have the confidence that I have. Is it certainty? No. And the reality is that President Trump would like to do far more in Venezuela. And I think, look, every president gets frustrated dealing with a legislature. But that's the Constitution," Davidson said.
