Sen. Tim Kaine on Tensions Between the U.S. and Iran

SENATOR TIM KAINE: I think this president, by casting aside diplomacy is raising the risk of unnecessary war. And now, we see reports that they’re contemplating 120,000 troops into the region. I represent a very profoundly pro-military state. I have got a child in the Marine Corps. I will tell you it would be idiocy for the United States to get involved in another war in the Middle East right now.

And especially, it would be wrong if the president were to try to start or initiate it on his own without coming to Congress. If he can’t convince Congress, that should tell you something. It’s not in the national interest but he’s showing every sign that what he wants to do is act unilaterally to the point of not even giving us briefings yet about this intel that they’re bandying about from the White House.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Well, I wanted to ask you about that intel. But first, let me just repeat to you your own tweet, “Donald Trump is taking steps that I fear are leading us to an unnecessary war with Iran. That chills my blood. Let me be clear, I am going to do anything I can to stop him from sidestepping Congress to start an illegal war.” What can you do?

KAINE: Well, there are a number of things that we can do. For example, we’re working on the defense authorizing bill right now. We might be able to take steps in there to put up some guardrails so that the president can’t act unilaterally. And second, we always have the option, as we showed recently with respect to the president’s putting American support behind the Saudi prosecution of their interests in the Yemeni civil war, we have the opportunity to put a motion on the floor to force the United States to withdraw from hostilities. That is guaranteed a debate and vote where everybody gets to go on the record and declare whether or not they are for this war or not and if that — if the president tries to get us into hostilities without Congress, you can be sure we will have that debate and vote in the floor of the Senate and the House, and that’s the way it should happen.

AMANPOUR: You heard Senator Cotton say that you guys in the Senate, particularly on the Intelligence Committee, but I’m sure on some of your committees as well, that the intelligence is there and if we knew what you all knew, then we’d understand how serious the threat is. And yet, I played him the soundbite from the general there, the British general who is deputy anti-ISIS commander who says they have seen no step-up in threats or they have no evidence on the ground there that Iran or its proxies are stepping up their threats to American personnel.

KAINE: And Christiane, we have heard that and we’re also hearing grave concerns expressed about the intelligence even from members of the administration. So, here’s what I will say about it, the White House hasn’t yet really briefed us. It’s unusual to order all personnel to leave Iraq, nonessential personnel.