January 7, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 3 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
REGARDING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S TARGETED KILLING OF MAJOR GENERAL QASEM SOLEIMANI, HEAD OF THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 3
(Extensions of Remarks - January 07, 2020)
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[Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E4-E5] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] REGARDING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S TARGETED KILLING OF MAJOR GENERAL QASEM SOLEIMANI, HEAD OF THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD ______ HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE of texas in the house of representatives Tuesday, January 7, 2020 Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the House Committees on the Judiciary and on Homeland Security, I rise to address the Trump Administration's targeted killing of Qasem Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, and the impact of this decision on American national security interests and the safety of American armed forces personnel and civilians in the region and around the world. The decision to kill Major General Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, may have rid the world of a major architect of terror but leaves unanswered the critically important question of why the action was taken at this time. In addition, we do know whether the action taken was the product of a carefully developed geopolitical strategy developed after extensive discussion within the national security apparatus of the short and longterm consequences for the security of the region and our nation and its people. Similarly, we do not know whether it was taken in consultation and agreement with our regional and international allies; and whether there is now in place a strategy to ensure that the action taken does not lead to a greater escalation of tensions between Iran and the United States or in the worst case, another war in the Middle East placing at risk the lives and safety of millions of persons. Qasem Soleimani appears to be the apparent mastermind behind last week's attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Soleimani as long-time chief of the Quds Force, the elite special forces battalion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), assisted Syrian strongman Bashar al Assad slaughter hundreds of thousands of his own people in the Syrian civil war. Soleimani also incited the Houthis in Yemen's civil war and oversaw the brutal killing of hundreds of Iraqi protesters recently demonstrating against Iranian influence in their country. Iran's Quds Force, under Soleimani's leadership, has long been suspected by the U.S. Government of involvement in a 2011 plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States. According to the U.S. Department of State, Soleimani was responsible for the 608 Americans killed by Iranian proxies since the 2003 inception of the war in Iraq. But Qasem Soleimani was more than a military leader, he was a highranking political leader, second only in power and influence to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In fact, Soleimani was regarded as a future president of Iran. It was foreseeable that the killing of Soleimani by American forces was likely to invite retaliation by Iran putting at risk American military and civilian personnel, as well as its allies in the region and across the globe. That is why it was essential that the Administration have in place a sound and well-considered and meticulously developed strategy for managing disputes with Iran. That does not appear to be the case. There is no evidence that the Administration consulted with Congress or the Gang of 8, no evidence that it enlisted or even consulted our allies in NATO or the region, no evidence that the Administration has a working and well-functioning national security council apparatus. This is a critical Pottery Barn failure in dealing with the Middle East for as former Secretary of State Colin Powell stated before the Iraq War, ``If you break it, you bought it.'' Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has vowed that a ``harsh retaliation is waiting'' for the United States as a consequence of the action taken yesterday by the Administration. It is imperative that the Administration have in place a strategy to counter and deescalate any Iranian response and have in place measures to protect the safety of Americans residing or travelling abroad and to protect the security of the homeland. We must be prepared and ready because the assassination of Qasem Soleimani has the potential to be the most consequential assassination of a political leader since the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl [[Page E5]] Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, the heir presumptive of the throne of Austria-Hungary in 1914, which set in motion the Great War. The decision to send American men and women into harm's way is the most consequential decision the Constitution vests in the President and the Congress. That is why the Administration must consult with and seek and secure from Congress authorization to use military force (AUMF) against Iran. Any vote on an AUMF for engagement with Iran must be preceded by meaningful, substantive, and thoughtful dialogue and robust debate. Members of Congress must be apprised of all facts material to the decision and have access to relevant documentation, classified and otherwise, and afforded the opportunity to meet in small groups and in secure locations with senior members of the Administration's national security team who can answer detailed and pointed questions and provide requested information. The Constitution wisely divides the responsibility of deciding when to use military force to protect the nation and its interests between the President and the Congress, the representatives of the American people. The war in Iraq taught this nation the importance of having accurate and reliable information when deciding whether to use military force and the painful costs in lives and treasure of acting precipitously. We cannot and dare not repeat that mistake. That is why it is essential that all Members of Congress have access to the relevant information and the responsible Administration officials before any vote to authorize the use of military force be scheduled. ____________________