Mike Lee and Rand Paul have been getting some pushback from other Senators that were in yesterday’s briefing over their comments about it. We showed you Lindsey Graham’s comments last night. Below are a few tweets from Marco Rubio that discuss the briefing, from both yesterday and this morning.
These first two tweets appear to be aimed specifically at Democrats, but they build on a premise so I’m including them here.
In the first one directly after the briefing, Rubio writes that the briefing was not only compelling, but that anyone who says they aren’t now convinced that Soleimani’s death was justified “is either never going to be convinced or just oppose everything Trump does”:
Natl Security officials gave a compelling briefing to Senators just now. They answered every important question.
Anyone who walks out & says they aren’t convinced action against #Soleimani was justified is either never going to be convinced or just oppose everything Trump does.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 8, 2020
He followed that with one from this morning saying that any Senator who denies Soleimani was planning an attack is calling the Joint Chiefs a liar:
Any Senator who left the briefing on #Iran & claims #Soleimani wasn’t planning a near term attack on Americans is calling the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Milley a liar.
Because Gen. Milley stated clearly & firmlythat Soleimani was about to kill Americans.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 9, 2020
Rubio’s latest tweet from this morning does address a “GOP Senator” upset about the briefing, suggesting that the GOP Senator upset with the briefing was upset because the administration wouldn’t do ‘hypothetical scenarios’, not because the briefing didn’t include justification for the Soleimani killing:
Some reporting about GOP Senator upset after Iran briefing leaves false impression it’s because information provided didn’t justify #Soleimani strike
It was because administration didn’t offer hypothetical scenario requiring congressional authorization for military action
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 9, 2020
Clearly Rubio was satisfied that the briefing did explain the justification for Soleimani’s death and is making sure everyone knows it.
VP Mike Pence also was asked about Lee’s comments this morning and he defended the withholding of the most sensitive intelligence during the briefing because it would have compromised sources and methods (it’s cued up to 5:52)