Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) used a CNN appearance to predict that congressional Republicans will ultimately vote to curb President Donald Trumps authority over ongoing military operations, accusing him of incompetent handling of the war.
According to Breitbart, Schiff joined CNNs The Lead, where host Jake Tapper pressed him on his strategy to force Republicans to take a clear stand on limiting the Presidents war powers. Tapper noted that Youre planning to introduce another War Powers Resolution, which would force Republicans to vote one way or the other on it, and reminded viewers that A lot of them already walked back their initial rebuke of President Trump, citing Sen. Bill Cassidy as an example.
Tapper then challenged Schiff directly: What makes you think that they might defy Trump, for this new War Powers Resolution? The question underscored a reality conservatives know well: many GOP lawmakers talk tough about congressional authority, but too often retreat when confronted by media pressure or partisan calculations.
Schiff responded by arguing that Republicans have already shown some willingness to break ranks, even if only briefly. Well, there have been a couple instances where Republicans have voted with us on War Powers resolutions and then when pressured, have backed off, he said, adding, Theyve generally given some explanation for why they backed off.
He pointed to one justification he found particularly telling, saying, In that case, it was to, at least according to one of the senators, it was to give the president leverage in the talks around the ceasefire. Schiff then dismissed that rationale, declaring, Well, the ceasefire is over. It never really took hold.
The California Democrat went on to paint a dire picture of the current situation, insisting that now that we are back in a full military exchange with Iran, now that the president is contemplating even potentially putting troops on the ground, I would expect we will get more support. He predicted that Some of the people who voted with us before will vote with us again, and we might get new people voting with us.
Schiff claimed that opposition to the administrations approach is growing, asserting, As this war has gone on and on and on, the support for these resolutions has only increased, and it increasingly looks like were in a quagmire now. He then launched a broadside at President Trumps leadership, saying, Where the president doesnt know what hes doing, doesnt know what to do, announces were going to charge tolls in the strait, something he said was illegal, and then 24 hours later says, were not going to charge tolls in the strait.
For Schiff, the political calculation is as important as the policy debate, and he openly framed Republican decision-making in electoral terms. So I think the incompetent handling of the war, the risk that the war may escalate again, and the fear, frankly, a lot of Republicans have, that he is killing their chances in the midterms may motivate Republicans to vote with us, he concluded, effectively urging GOP lawmakers to side with Democrats against a President who remains overwhelmingly popular with the conservative base.
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