The House Foreign Relations Committee has requested Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to testify before the panel next week on the ongoing crisis with Iran.
The notice comes just one day before the full House and Senate are expected to be briefed by Mr. Pompeo and Pentagon leaders in a closed-door setting on the nature of the threats leading up to the strike on Iranian senior commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.
“The Trump administration has escalated tensions with Iran to a dangerous new level. The American people have serious questions about the real reasons behind last week’s strike and the planned path forward,” committee Chairman Eliot Engel, New York Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday.
Lawmakers have raised questions in recent days about the lack of information that was given to congressional leadership in the aftermath of the fatal strike on an airbase in Iraq, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi argued that the move was conducted without congressional approval.
It was unclear if Mr. Pompeo, an Iran hawk and reportedly a strong advocate for the Soleimani strike last week, would agree to testify.
Mr. Engel claimed that “it doesn’t look like Trump administration actions are de-escalating the conflict or opening the door to negotiations,” and said the secretary should “make his case to Congress and the American people.”
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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