Menendez, Booker, Sherrill, Sires Push Trump About Iran Airstrike

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani has inspired fierce condemnation, support and calls for more information in Essex County.

Soleimani died Friday in Baghdad in a drone strike launched by the U.S. military. American officials – including President Donald Trump – have claimed the general ordered assaults on U.S. citizens in Iraq and Syria and was planning a wave of imminent attacks.

Soleimani’s death has raised fears about a war between the U.S. and Iran, which recently said it will no longer abide by a 2015 agreement to suspend uranium production. Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear deal in 2018.

• See related article: Iran Vows 'Severe Revenge' In Response To U.S. Airstrikes
• See related article: After Embassy Attack, Trump Deploys About 750 Troops To Mideast

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, an Essex County resident who announced his presidential run in Newark, took aim at Trump in a statement on Friday.

“Make no mistake – Qasem Soleimani was a ruthless, evil leader who had orchestrated countless attacks that have cost American lives,” Booker said. “Today, many questions remain and must be answered on the intelligence reports that led to this action, what steps were undertaken to prepare our personnel and partners in the region, and the consequences of an escalatory attack with no clear endgame.”

“[President Trump] has no long-term strategy for dealing with Iran, bringing stability to the Middle East, or avoiding military conflict with Iran,” Booker added. “The reality is that Americans are evacuating from cities across the region because this morning Americans at home and abroad are at risk from Iran’s potential retaliatory actions.”

Other lawmakers with Essex County ties have also demanded that Trump release more information about the airstrike.

On Monday, U.S. Senators Robert Menendez, who maintains an office in Newark, and Chuck Schumer of New York, urged the president to declassify a War Powers notification he submitted to Congress about Friday’s airstrike.

The senators wrote to Trump:

“We write to request and urge you to immediately declassify in full the January 4, 2020 war powers notification you submitted to Congress following the U.S. military operation targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani. It is critical that national security matters of such import be shared with the American people in a timely manner. An entirely classified notification is simply not appropriate in a democratic society, and there appears to be no legitimate justification for classifying this notification.”

Menendez doubled down on his earlier statement Monday afternoon:

“So far, I haven’t seen anything that indicates that killing Soleimani has prevented an imminent attack against Americans and certainly nothing that indicates his death alone, absent any strategy for managing the fallout or longer term strategy for Iran, is going to make Americans or our interests more secure in the short, medium, or long term. At this point, I have more questions about the prudence and legitimacy of this strike and most importantly, remain convinced that our interests are no more secure than prior to the Soleimani strike… The [Trump Administration] owes Congress and the American people serious explanations.”

Last weekend, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot who represents the state’s 11th District (Essex, Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties), released a statement about the strike that killed Soleimani.

In her statement, Sherrill said Trump owes the nation – and Congress – an explanation about why Soleimani was killed and what it means for the United States.

Sherrill wrote:

“Qasem Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American servicemen and women. He left a trail of destruction across the Middle East as an Iranian general who directed paramilitary and terrorist organizations throughout region. The Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations have long understood the threat Soleimani posed, and developed contingencies to eliminate that threat. Until now, presidents determined these plans of attack against Soleimani would escalate tensions in the region and would be counterproductive to U.S. interests.”

The congresswoman continued:

“President Trump authorized Thursday's strike based on what he believed to be an ‘imminent threat.’ It is incumbent upon him now to fully brief Congress so that we may assess this threat ourselves. Furthermore, in order to best protect American citizens and interests across the world, he needs to share his strategy going forward and explain to the American people why he has made this decision. The president must engage in diplomacy and articulate a larger strategy that will limit Iran’s nuclear program, ensure that we can safely maintain a troop presence on the ground in Iraq to eliminate an ISIS resurgence, and move us toward a stable Middle East.”

U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, who represents the state’s 8th District including Belleville and part of Newark, also released a statement in the wake of Soleimani’s death.

“There are no doubts that Soleimani was a bad actor that orchestrated attacks responsible for the deaths of many Americans and fostered Iran’s dangerous network of influence via proxies throughout the region and around the world,” Sires said.

“It is important that Congress be briefed on the information that led to last night’s decision,” Sires said Friday. “Any further military action should be done in consultation with Congress to ensure that the United States fully comprehends and is prepared for a potential retaliatory response by Iran and its proxies.”

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MILITARY STRIKE IN IRAN: SUPPORT, CONDEMNATION IN ESSEX

Nutley Township Commissioner Steven Rogers, an outspoken Republican who is on the Trump’s 2020 Campaign Advisory Board, has been an ardent supporter of the president’s decisions on military action in Iran.

“President Trump’s decisive and swift action against the Iranian regime was an absolute necessity to protect American lives and our national security,” Rogers said the week of the airstrike. “If we go to war with Iran, Democrats in Congress should be forewarned to put their politics aside and support our president and troops.”

Rogers – who has urged people to “display with great pride your American Flags as we did after 9/11,” wrote Friday on Twitter:

“The Dems criticizing @realDonaldTrump for his actions to protect American lives are aiding our enemies. Iran is responsible for killing thousands of innocent people, including American troops. Instead of helping our country by supporting @POTUS they help Iran by criticizing him!”

But according to the Green Party of New Jersey and Essex County, the “reckless” attack threatens the lives of countless Iranians, Iraqis and Americans.

“It’s difficult to construe this airstrike as a defensive action, as the incident that was supposedly the basis for the airstrike was already on the way to being successfully resolved,” said Bahram Zandi, co-chair of the Green Party’s International Committee.

Madelyn Hoffman, the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in New Jersey, a “line in the sand” has been drawn for those who value peace and the self-determination of people around the world.

In a statement on Monday, Hoffman blasted previous U.S. military actions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria. She wrote:

“Clearly, this is NOT only about removing Donald Trump from political office. Notice how many Democrats have also been involved in these interventions around the world. We can easily go back much further than 1988, but I’ll start there. We’re talking about President George Bush I, followed by President Bill Clinton, followed by President George Bush, Jr., followed by President Barack Obama, and followed by President Donald Trump, Democrats and Republicans alike.”

Hoffman continued:

“We must recognize and acknowledge the complicity of both political parties because it does us no good to frame this issue in a partisan manner. We do ourselves and the world a disservice to do so.”

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