Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal: President Trump ‘Recklessly Assassinated’ Soleimani, Didn’t Pose ‘Imminent Threat’

Dem. Rep. Pramila Jayapal says "Pres. Trump recklessly assassinated Qassem Soleimani," adding "there was no raw evidence presented that there was an imminent threat" in classified congressional briefing. https://t.co/TaLfIwGQYH pic.twitter.com/szN7l0TfhO

— ABC News (@ABC) January 8, 2020

Her remarks stand in stark contrast to the statement released by the Pentagon, confirming the death of the terrorist leader.

The Pentagon said in a statement:

General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans.

The Pentagon also confirmed that Soleimani approved of last week’s violent attack against the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

As Breitbart News reported:

The Pentagon said Soleimani had orchestrated attacks on U.S.-led coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months, including one on December 27 which killed an American contractor and wounded U.S. service members and Iraqi personnel.

The Pentagon also said Soleimani approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place earlier this week.

The group that carried out the December 27 attack, Kata’ib Hizballah, is the same group that pioneered the use of explosively formed penetrators that killed and maimed hundreds of U.S. service members during the Iraq War, according to Smyth.

Other Democrat lawmakers touted a similar narrative, questioning the existence of an imminent threat:

I went to this afternoon's classified briefing regarding justification for last week's drone strike in Iraq that killed Qassim Suleimani.

It is still not clear to me what the imminent danger was that we avoided with this act. pic.twitter.com/xpu5bTBRLt

— Congressmember Bass (@RepKarenBass) January 8, 2020

Elizabeth Warren tells reporters: “I do not think the US is any safer” with Soleimani dead, saying the US is “‘much closer to war” than when he was alive.
Emerging from briefing, Warren said there was “no” imminent threat to US from Soleimani

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 8, 2020

"A far cry from imminent threat…." @timkaine expresses doubts about the Trump administration rationale for strike that killed Iranian general…Kaine spoke after briefing on Hill by Pompeo, Esper and others

— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) January 8, 2020

"I walk away unsatisfied," says @SenatorMenendez after classified Senate briefing on killing of Soleimani. "We have more questions than we have answers at the end of the day,” he told reporters. pic.twitter.com/xId3uM0V4z

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) January 8, 2020

House Democrats overwhelmingly pushed back at the idea that the admin presented specific, new convincing information about an imminent Suleimani threat.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-MA: “it was grossly unspecific”

Rep. Nydia Valezquez, D-NY: “it was a waste of time.”

— Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) January 8, 2020

Several GOP lawmakers, such as Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA), disagreed with Jayapal’s position, noting that the classified briefing showed that Trump “did what was necessary to protect American lives”: