The Trump administration has repeatedly trampled on the Constitution, menacing Article I and the First, Fourth, Sixth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Twenty-Second amendments. It has sidelined the Congress and its constitutional role. It has ignored or maneuvered around the rulings of the courts at every level, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
The administration’s most recent violation is the attack on Iran, which, like the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, was undertaken without consultation with or the approval of Congress, requirements set out in Article I of the Constitution — and reinforced by the War Powers Act. The question is not whether the leaders of Iran are good people — they aren’t. It is that President Trump has again ignored the Constitution and not provided a real rationale for the attack, his goals, and the likely outcomes to Congress and the U.S. people to be discussed, debated, and approved — or not. Yet, people have already been killed, and many more are going to die, including U.S. citizens, if the war continues. The future results of this war are unclear, but already deadly and potentially catastrophic in a region that has seen too much catastrophe. The president is not a king; democracy is not optional.
James Smethurst
Deerfield