Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrat, said Tuesday that Congress should have voted on air strikes in Syria before leaving Washington for a month and a half of campaigning.
“The constitution is pretty clear, the president always has the ability to defend the United States against an imminent attack,” he said on MSNBC. “If it’s not just a defense mission but an offensive one, that’s when Congress is needed.”
Mr. Kaine said he also didn’t think the authorization of military force from the early 2000s is broad enough to cover these strikes.
“I wish we were having that debate on the authorization right now,” he said. “I’m confident that we will get to that in November.”
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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