EMILY KWONG, HOST:
In Washington, reaction to the strikes on Iran have been deeply divided. The opinions do not split cleanly along partisan lines, though most of those supporting the strikes are Republicans and most of those against are Democrats. NPR is reaching out to members of both parties and to the Trump administration. And at the moment, we have reached Virginia Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Senator Warner, thank you so much for your time.
MARK WARNER: Thank you, Emily.
KWONG: I want to start by playing a new video statement that the president published today.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We're undertaking this massive operation not merely to ensure security for our own time and place, but for our children and their children, just as our ancestors have done for us many, many years ago. This is the duty and the burden of a free people.
KWONG: So the president speaks of this war as duty and burden. What is your reaction to that, Senator?
WARNER: Well, first of all, Emily, I am down in Hampton Roads part of Virginia, where most of the sailors who are in the conflict area are from. Literally, I had four events today. Half the crowd in every one of these events knew people who were deployed. And they have no idea why their sons and daughters are being put in harm's way.
You know, the president a week ago said this was about Iran's nuclear activities, which he had claimed had been obliterated seven months ago. He then switched to saying this is about Iran's ballistic missile capacity. And now, in the last 36 hours, he says it's about regime change. You know, why are these sons and daughters now casualties - some of them - in harm's way? What is the essential criteria for America being in this war?
KWONG: Yeah.
WARNER: You know, I can tell you, as somebody who was part of the Gang of Eight, there is and was no imminent, immediate threat from Iran against America. So why take this action now is the question I'm getting from the parents and friends of sailors deployed, and I don't have any answer for them.
KWONG: President Trump said in this statement, quote, "sadly, there will likely be more," referring to U.S. casualties. What do you make of that?
WARNER: Well, I make of it the fact that this is a war of choice chosen by Donald Trump in the Middle East, where our record has not been great. Again, there was no intelligence that showed an immediate, imminent threat. That should be normally the criteria. Matter of fact...
KWONG: Let's talk about...
WARNER: ...But let me just - matter of fact, if the president had chosen to take action back in January, when the Iranian people were on the streets in record numbers, you know, he would have more of a case, but he couldn't do it then because the aircraft carrier that was needed was off the coast of Venezuela, and our allies that would be normally supportive were concerned - rightfully - about...
KWONG: Right. The moment...
WARNER: ...Trump's plans on Greenland.
KWONG: The moment...
WARNER: So and...
KWONG: ...It's incredibly fraught. And...
WARNER: The moment is fraught, but, like, remember, the president has also recently said to call for the Iranian people to rise up.
KWONG: Yes. What do you...
WARNER: If the Iranian people - well, if the Iranian people rise up right now in the Iranian regime...
KWONG: If they were to rise up...
WARNER: ...Brutally murders them...
KWONG: If the Iranian people were to rise up, would that change your assessment of the situation?
WARNER: Well, listen, I am glad and shed no tears about the Iranian leadership being destroyed. I mean, this is an awful, awful regime. But if the president is now saying to the Iranian people, rise up, does the American - do we then have an obligation if the Iranian military brutally murders them...
KWONG: Yeah.
WARNER: ...After our president called for them to rise up? What obligation do we have? In many ways, this timetable of this strike now was because he made similar comments in January and was not able to execute because of his other military forays. So I think it's incumbent upon the president to make the case to the American people, to make the case to Congress, to seek a level of declaration of war. This is not something where the president had to respond to, again, the notion of an imminent threat. This is the president having a war of his choice, and he needs to get...
KWONG: So...
WARNER: ...The assent of congress...
KWONG: ...Let's talk about...
WARNER: ...And the American people.
KWONG: ...The options that Congress has. Your fellow Virginia Senator Tim Kaine is one of those pushing a war powers resolution. The Constitution gives the Congress power to declare war, which it hasn't given for any of Trump's use of force. Those efforts have not yet passed, and not all Democrats are publicly on board. Are there any indications this time could be different?
WARNER: Listen, I would support Tim Kaine's effort. I think it is important that we should not cede all power to this president to arbitrarily make decisions about where we deploy forces. Again, I just wish the media, I wish the President's supporters would listen to the families of the sailors...
KWONG: Those who you...
WARNER: ...And soldiers deployed.
KWONG: ...Who you met today in Hampton Roads...
WARNER: Who I met today...
KWONG: ...Who are very concerned.
WARNER: ...And are saying...
KWONG: Yeah.
WARNER: ...You know...
KWONG: I hear that.
WARNER: ...When is my son or daughter coming back? Many of these sailors have been deployed now for well beyond the normal six months. What is the plan and are we about to engage ourselves in an endless war that may not only cost American lives, but American treasure, when we have many of our munitions are actually at a relatively low level at this point?
KWONG: Senator Warner, with the 30 seconds we have left, as a member of the Gang of Eight, who's a bipartisan group that's privileged information, based on the intelligence you have, how does this now play out?
WARNER: I wish I knew. I do know this. There is no - there was no imminent threat to America. So if the president chose to go to war, he owes the American people and the Congress what his goals are. And those goals have - there's at least three different goals he's laid out literally in the last five days.
KWONG: Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, thank you so much.
WARNER: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF BADBADNOTGOOD AND GHOSTFACE KILLAH SONG, "SOUR SOUL") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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