Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) criticized President Biden’s authorization of U.S. airstrikes in Syria last Thursday, stating that they “clearly” violated the Constitution and international law.
The U.S. military hit facilities used by Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria last Thursday after three recent rocket attacks in Iraq targeted U.S. personnel and other interests. The strike was the first-known military action ordered by Biden.
Speaking on Hill TV’s “Rising,” Khanna was asked if he felt more of his Democratic colleagues would have been critical of the airstrikes if former President Trump ordered them as opposed to Biden.
“I’m sure there would have been more outrage, because this is not a close case,” Khanna said. “This is clearly a violation of the U.S. Constitution and international law.”
Khanna also said that he felt the airstrikes contradicted Democrats’ goals of ending the conflict.
“I don’t understand how you say that strikes are deescalatory. I mean, they just sort of make that claim but where is the deescalation? Where is the logic behind that?” Khanna said.
“My view is — and many people in the Democratic Party have said this — that we need to be extricating out of these endless wars and this conflict,” he continued. “I don’t see how striking in Syria, Iranian targets achieves that objective.”
Watch part of Khanna’s interview above
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