Trump Declares His Tweets To Be Official Notice To Congress On Attacks Against Iran

President Donald Trump speaks as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listens during a Cabinet meeting on October 21, 2019. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Apparently if Congress wants to stay informed on President Donald Trump’s efforts to goad Iran into war, they’ll have to check his Twitter feed.

“These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner,” Trump tweeted on Sunday. “Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!”

Under the War Powers Act of 1973, Trump is in fact required to give legal notice to Congress within 48 hours of ordering hostile military action, such as the drone strike that killed top Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani last week.

The administration gave Congress formal notice of the strike on Saturday, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that the classified document “raises more questions than it answers.”

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. We are tripping the light fantastic now. Put on your dancing shoes, it is going to get sweaty.

  2. Avatar for hoagie hoagie says:

    How about another article of impeachment, Madame Speaker?

  3. Pompeo in that picture: the face of someone pushing you into the back of a van.

  4. Trump is required to consult regularly with the Congress until US Armed Forces are no longer engaged in hostilities, provide such other information as the Congress may request in the fulfillment of its constitutional responsibilities, and report to the Congress periodically, but not less than every six months, on the status, scope and duration of such hostilities.

    He has given the required after-the-fact notice and marked it as classified, but will make all further reports via Twitter.

  5. Moreover, he’s calling his tweets “legal notice.” OMFG.

    A looming question is when is Jack Dorsey going to shut down his account. He’s broken every Twitter Terms of Service there are, multiple times.

    BTW Border Patrol/Customs is reportedly now detaining Irani-Americans at the Washington-Canada border. Good times ahead!

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

220 more replies

Participants

Avatar for playitagainrowlf Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for meri Avatar for jep07 Avatar for inversion Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for 26degreesrising Avatar for thebishop Avatar for musgrove Avatar for leftcoaster Avatar for fiftygigs Avatar for darrtown Avatar for pshah Avatar for tiowally Avatar for michaelryerson Avatar for cub_calloway Avatar for justruss Avatar for carolson Avatar for dougsanders Avatar for bloomingpeonie Avatar for heartflow Avatar for mtw Avatar for hardyweinberg Avatar for emiliano4

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: