The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Eliot Engel, criticized the Trump administration’s justification for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Iraq last month. The administration claimed that the attack was authorized under Congress’ 2002 authorization for the use of military force against Iraq.
Engel argued that the administration’s report to Congress contradicted President Trump’s assertion that the attack on Soleimani was to prevent an imminent threat to U.S. personnel and embassies. He called the administration’s explanation “false, plain and simple.”
The report stated that the attack on Soleimani was in response to escalating attacks by Iran and Iran-backed militias on U.S. forces and interests in the Middle East. It also cited the President’s authority under Article II of the Constitution and the 2002 authorization for the use of force in Iraq.
Engel dismissed this argument as “absurd,” stating that the 2002 authorization was intended to deal with Saddam Hussein, not Iranian officials in Iraq. He called on Congress to repeal the outdated authorization and criticized the administration for using it to justify the killing of Soleimani.
The administration’s report claimed that the attack on Soleimani was necessary to protect U.S. personnel, deter further attacks from Iran, and degrade Iran’s ability to conduct attacks. Soleimani was the commander of Iran’s Quds Force at the time of his death.
The report also cited the President’s authority under Article II and the 2002 authorization to use force against threats posed by Iran and Iraq. It argued that these actions were necessary to defend U.S. national security interests in the region.