Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has revealed he knew of President Trump's intention to authorize a drone strike that would kill Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in advance after reports that key lawmakers weren't consulted.House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday complained that Trump had taken this major action against
Iran "without the consultation of the Congress," and a Pelosi spokesperson told
NBC News' Alex Moe on Friday that while she spoke to Defense Secretary Mark Esper afterward, she received no advance notification. CNN's Manu Raju also reports
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wasn't informed and there wasn't a formal briefing with the Gang of Eight.Yet Graham on Friday said he was filled in earlier this week when he visited Trump in Florida."I was briefed about the potential operation when I was down in
Florida," Graham told Fox &
Friends, saying he appreciated being "brought into the orbit."This is likely to increase criticism against Trump's reporte failure to formally brief
Congress on his move. As CNN's Jim Sciutto noted, "You have hundreds of people whose job it is to help develop policy and inform the president of the potential consequences of his decisions. This president has chosen to bypass that repeatedly."More stories from theweek.com The booming stock market shows America is diseased
Fox News segment on Soleimani strike descends into chaos as Geraldo Rivera and Brian Kilmeade clash 5 ways Iran might retaliate for America's airstrike