Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) put out a call on Tuesday for House Republicans to back an effort to prevent President Trump from launching a nuclear strike on North Korea without congressional approval.
“If you love our country, help me put this lunacy in check. Tell @realDonaldTrump this is not normal behavior,” Swalwell tweeted. “Any @HouseGOP members want to make sure Congress has some say before he pushes that button?”
{mosads}
Swalwell’s tweet followed on the heels of a claim by Trump that the U.S. nuclear launch button is “much bigger” and “more powerful” than that of North Korea — and that it actually works.
Trump’s tweet came in response to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s claim this week that he had a nuclear launch button on his desk and that the world would have to accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.
Several Democratic lawmakers have called on Congress to pass a measure that would require Trump to gain congressional approval before launching a pre-emptive strike on North Korea in the absence of an immediate threat to the U.S.
Trump has repeatedly warned that military options remain on the table in dealing with North Korea, which has shown a number of advancements in its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs over the past year.