Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) and Fox News host Will Cain sparred Wednesday afternoon over whether President Donald Trump fulfilled his legal obligations before bombing three nuclear facilities in Iran.
Over the weekend, Trump sent congressional leaders a brief letter outlining his legal authority to approve the strikes under the War Powers Act. The letter does not mention any intelligence or evidence used to justify the strikes.
Cain argued that the letter Trump sent satisfied his requirements to notify Congress of an imminent threat to the homeland. Crow argued that the letter was light on details and that the Trump administration needs to provide more information to Congress about the strike.
"This is not what I would like," Crow said. "A one-page document that just recites legal authorities and constitutional provisions doesn't actually give us the facts that Congress needs. This isn't what I want. This isn't what I would like. This, literally, is my constitutional obligation."
Trump has claimed that Iran's nuclear capabilities posed a threat to the United States, but he has not yet articulated whether that amounts to an "imminent threat," as defined by the act.
His decision to bomb Iran was met with pushback from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) wrote on X that the bombing campaign was "not constitutional." Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) said, "It's hard to conceive a rationale that's Constitutional."
Crow reminded Cain that Congress has the legal authority to approve strikes against foreign countries when there is no self-defense issue at hand.
Cain posited that Trump's strikes on Iran satisfied the War Powers Act because they protected American interests.
"It's my obligation to determine whether that's true," Crow responded, adding that he has seen no information over the last year that would make him think it's true.
