Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff issued a muted rebuke Friday of the Biden administration over its “notice” to congressional leaders prior to Thursday’s airstrikes in Syria.
While appearing on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” Schiff was asked by host Andrea Mitchell if he, as House Intelligence Committee Chairman, was notified about the strikes before they took place.
“We received a written notification shortly before the strikes. So, I would say the answer is nominally yes, but nonetheless, I don’t think the notice was adequate in the form that it was delivered,” Schiff responded.
“We have remaining questions in terms of some of the legal issues around the strike that we will continue to explore, but it does look like it was a proportionate response to the Iranian-backed Shia militia attacks and the danger they posed to our troops and other coalition forces. So, it looks like a proportionate and appropriate response, but I want to know further about the justification, as well as the intel and evidence on it, and we’re pursuing that,” the congressman concluded.
The airstrikes were carried out against an Iranian-backed militia in retaliation for rocket attacks against U.S. bases in Iraq. As of Friday, the damage assessment was still ongoing, but it was confirmed that at least 1 member of the militia was killed.
Several Democratic senators released statements on Friday morning condemning the White House and calling the strikes unconstitutional. They also claimed they weren’t consulted prior to strikes, as required by the Constitution.
The spokesman for the Department of Defense, John Kirby, also appeared on MSNBC Friday and said the president operated “well within his constitutional authorities” and that “there was a notification process” to make Congress aware of the strikes. (RELATED: Biden Defense Spokesperson Refutes Democratic Senators On Air Strikes: ‘There Was A Notification Process’)
White House press secretary Jen Psaki released a statement Friday afternoon that directly contradicted claims that the Biden administration didn’t inform Congress of the airstrike.
“The Department of Defense briefed Congressional leadership before the action last night. The Administration has been briefing the Hill at the Member– and staff– level today. There will be a full classified briefing early next week at the latest,” the statement read.
