Jan 9, 2020

Duckworth slams accusations of "love" for terrorists: "I left parts of my body in Iraq"

Ursula Perano

Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Iraq War veteran Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) hit back at Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) on CNN Thursday over the GOP lawmaker's insinuation that Democrats are sympathetic to terrorists, including the recently killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

What they're saying: "I'm not going to dignify that with a response. I left parts of my body in Iraq fighting terrorists. I don't need to justify myself to anyone," Duckworth said on CNN Right Now.

  • Duckworth added: "No, I am not sad that this man is dead. I am glad that he's gone to meet his maker ... But at the end of the day, because of the poor handling by the White House and the consequences of their actions ... American forces are now under greater danger of attack from Iran and other hostile forces in the Middle East."

Flashback: Collins, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said in an interview on Fox News on Wednesday that Democrats are "in love with terrorists."

  • “We see that they mourn Soleimani more than they mourn our Gold Star families who are the ones who suffered under Soleimani. That’s a problem.”

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Marisa Fernandez

Rep. Doug Collins apologizes for saying Democrats are "in love with terrorists"

House Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Doug Collins

Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) apologized on Friday for saying Democrats are in love with terrorists, a comment he said was in response to the war powers resolution introduced at the time.

The big picture: The House voted 224-194 on Thursday, directing President Trump to halt the use of military force against Iran unless he obtains approval from Congress. The war powers resolution is unlikely to pass the Senate.

Go deeperArrowJan 10, 2020
Orion Rummler

Report: U.S. targeted second Iranian official on same day as Qasem Soleimani strike

Trump at a "Keep America Great" rally in Toledo, Ohio on Jan. 9. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. made an unsuccessful attempt to kill a senior Iranian official in Yemen on the same day that top Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani was killed in an American airstrike, the New York Times and Washington Post report.

Why it matters: This second operation, targeting Abdul Reza Shahlai, could indicate that killing Soleimani "was part of a broader operation than previously explained, raising questions about whether the mission was designed to cripple the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or solely to prevent an imminent attack on Americans," the Post reports.

Go deeperArrowJan 10, 2020
Jacob Knutson

Pompeo declines to appear for testimony on Soleimani airstrike

Mike Pompeo on Jan. 10. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said Monday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has declined to attend a committee hearing tomorrow on the Trump administration's decision to kill Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

Why it matters: The administration's mixed messaging on the justification for the airstrike on Soleimani has created doubt among some lawmakers about the "imminent threat" the administration claimed he posed to U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Go deeperArrowJan 13, 2020