In an appearance on ABC News’ This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) argued that there was no clear evidence Iran posed an immediate danger to the United States that would warrant such a dramatic escalation.
“He was a brutal dictator,” Schiff said of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike. “This is a murderous regime. But at the same time, it posed no imminent threat of attack to the United States. They had not reconstituted their nuclear program, which the president just months ago said had been obliterated. They do not have ballistic missiles capable of hitting the United States.”
“There was simply no basis to go in with this massive military campaign, with the goal of regime change,” Schiff continued.
The senator also called on other lawmakers to react with criticism. “[T]he president has made no case to the American people,” Schiff said, adding,“He sought no authorization from Congress. We need to return ASAP and take up a vote on the war powers resolution Tim Kaine, Rand Paul, Senator Schumer and I have introduced. But this case has not been made, and we just can’t predict the consequences of this action.”
When asked by host George Stephanopoulos for a response to the Iranians celebrating in the streets, Schiff said, “I would say, I’m glad the regime is gone. At least the leader of that terrible regime is gone, and we are supportive of them. But I would also say that we cannot fight this war for you, that you should not expect American boots on the ground, that we hope you’re successful. But I would not want to raise expectations among the Iranian people that if they rise up, that American troops will be there on the ground to support them.”
“Now, maybe they have the wherewithal to topple this regime,” he continued. “I hope and pray that’s the case. But maybe they don’t, and if they don’t and make that attempt and it ends in a bloody massacre, then the president will bear responsibility for that loss of life. So it’s a very difficult situation, I think, for the Iranian people. They will have to determine their own destiny. And I certainly hope that they’re successful. There would be nothing better than an end to this terrible, you know, century or decades-long dictatorship. But there is no imminent threat to the United States that would justify exposing U.S. troops to that kind of risk.”
Schiff’s criticism comes as U.S. and Israeli forces have conducted sweeping strikes across Iran in “Operation Epic Fury,”