Alarmed lawmakers demand answers from Trump administration on Iran threat

By MARIAM KHAN and JOHN PARKINSON May 15, 2019, 5:42 PM ET

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Wednesday said they were alarmed that they haven’t been adequately briefed by the Trump administration about the growing tensions between Washington and Tehran.

"Removing personnel from embassies and consulates is clearly a serious move by the State Department," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters on Wednesday. "They feel the threat. And I would urge the State Department and the [Department of Defense] to come down here and explain to us what's going on."

In a closed-door discussion with Democrats Wednesday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged her colleagues to oppose any potential armed conflict with Iran.

“Let me say that we have to avoid any war with Iran,” Pelosi told her caucus Wednesday morning, according to a senior Democratic aide.

Pelosi also told her colleagues that the administration still has not agreed to conduct a briefing for the full House of Representatives, which she characterized as part of a general effort by the administration “ to deter us from having our role” enumerated by the constitution.

“They have no business declaring a war without the consent of Congress, A,” Pelosi stressed. ...

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