Senator Warner Criticizes White House for Partisan Briefing on Drug Boat Strikes

Exclusion from Classified Briefing

• 🎯 Senator Mark Warner is criticizing the White House for excluding Democrats from a classified briefing on U.S. military strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific.
• 🏛️ The briefing, held yesterday, included over a dozen Republican senators but no Democrats, a move Warner called "indefensible and dangerous."
• ⚠️ Warner, as Vice Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, expressed concern over the lack of transparency and oversight, especially when troops may be in harm's way.

Concerns Over Legal Basis and Policy

• ⚖️ Warner highlighted concerns from sailors about the legal basis for blowing up boats and the implications for Venezuela.
• ❓ He stated that neither he nor other Democrats have seen the legal opinion justifying these strikes or received a comprehensive briefing.
• 🚀 The strikes, along with potential actions regarding Venezuela, are being conducted without proper congressional oversight, which Warner deems unprecedented and a departure from how national security matters are handled.

Pattern of Ignoring Congress

• 🚫 Warner believes this is part of a pattern where the current administration "blows off Congress at basically every corner."
• 📜 He contrasted this with previous administrations, including Trump's, which he noted had more professional approaches to congressional notification and briefing.
• 🤝 Warner appealed to Republicans to stand up against this trend, emphasizing that bipartisan support is a strength, not a weakness, in national security matters.

Broader National Security and Policy Issues

• ☢️ The discussion touched upon President Biden's potential shift towards resuming nuclear weapons testing, with Warner questioning the policy change and the lack of prior congressional briefing.
• 📉 Warner also addressed the ongoing government shutdown, urging for a resolution next week due to its impact on Americans, including healthcare and food benefits, and rising costs.
• 🇺🇸 He stressed the need for the President to prioritize America and find a way to reopen the government and avoid critical policy cliffs.