Rep. Jerrold Nadler, New York Democrat, said Friday he’s concerned that President Obama is taking the country down “the wrong constitutional path.”
Mr. Nadler said he has not lost confidence in the president, but that he disagrees with him on the approach to combating the Islamic State terrorist group, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
“Number one, I think that we don’t know who we’re arming over there,” he said on CNN, adding that there is no guarantee arms won’t be turned against the United States.
He also said he’s afraid congressional approval for $500 million to arm and train Syrian rebels might be seen as a functional equivalent for a basis for a broader conflict and disagreed with the White House’s claiming authority under the 2001 authorization for the use of military force passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the U.S.
“I think he’s taking the country down the wrong constitutional path,” he said. “We’re getting to the point where any president can take us to war, and Congress has no role.”
“The problem with what’s happening is that even if we were to come back, or even when we come back, we vote on an authorization for the use of military force — if it were voted down, the administration claims the authority to keep going anyway,” he continued. “And that’s a basic constitutional problem.”
Mr. Nadler said such a vote would “probably” pass Congress but that it would depend on what the authorization said and what the circumstances were.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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