A growing number of U.S. lawmakers have sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s recent airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling the move unconstitutional and urging Congress to consider impeachment.
The strikes, which targeted Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear sites, were announced by President Trump on Sunday. He declared the mission a “success,” noting that all U.S. aircraft had safely exited Iranian airspace. But the reaction in Washington has been anything but unified.
Prominent Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), accused Trump of bypassing Congress and violating the Constitution. “The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,” she said. “It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”
She was joined by other progressives, such as Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL), who called the action an “unambiguous impeachable offense,” and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who described the strikes as “grossly unconstitutional.”
Though calls for impeachment have so far come primarily from Democrats, criticism also emerged from across the aisle. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) bluntly stated, “This is not Constitutional,” while Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) urged restraint and warned against further escalation.
Top Intelligence Committee Democrat Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), a member of the “Gang of Eight,” expressed frustration over being left out of the pre-strike briefing process. “According to the Constitution, we are both sworn to defend, my attention to this matter comes BEFORE bombs fall,” he wrote.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) demanded that the administration explain its actions, insisting Congress be fully briefed in a classified setting. “Donald Trump shoulders complete and total responsibility for any adverse consequences that flow from his unilateral military action,” he said.
Despite the furor, some lawmakers defended Trump’s decision. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) praised the strikes as the “correct move,” while Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) applauded the military’s execution and declared, “Well done.”
Constitutional experts noted that while previous presidents have carried out similar strikes, the question of whether Trump’s actions rise to the level of an impeachable offense will depend on how Congress chooses to interpret the limits of executive military authority.
