Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., criticized President Trump's order that led to the death of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani Thursday, appearing to contradict his own rhetoric following the Iran-backed militia assault on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad earlier this week.
"Soleimani was an enemy of the United States. That’s not a question. The question is this - as reports suggest, did America just assassinate, without any congressional authorization, the second most powerful person in Iran, knowingly setting off a potential massive regional war?" Murphy tweeted.
WASHINGTON POST BLASTED FOR REFERRING TO QASSIM SOLEIMANI AS IRAN'S 'MOST REVERED MILITARY LEADER'
Appearing on CNN Friday, Murphy claimed that the actions taken by the Trump administration "seem disproportionate to the threat" posed by Soleimani, and expressed his fear that Americans, including top political and military figures, are now more in danger because of the escalation.
However, the Democratic senator struck a different tone on Tuesday following the violence at the embassy.
"The attack on our embassy in Baghdad is horrifying but predictable," Murphy tweeted. "Trump has rendered America impotent in the Middle East. No one fears us, no one listens to us. America has been reduced to huddling in safe rooms, hoping the bad guys will go away. What a disgrace."
He was even confronted about the inconsistent rhetoric by CNN's Jake Tapper.
"What do you say to critics who say, 'Look, before the attack, you said the president is insufficiently projecting American strength. And then he carries out this strike and you fault him for that?'" Tapper asked.
"Well, our policy in the Middle East has been an embarrassment. It has made us weak," Murphy responded. "The fact that none of our allies can trust us, that the president changes his mind every day on how many troops we're going to have in Syria, that he welches on promises that America has made to countries in the region and throughout the world. All of our policy in the Middle East has made us weaker. That doesn't justify the assassination of the leader of a foreign country that ultimately makes us less safe."
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He continued, "I may counsel my kids to stand up to bullies, that doesn't mean I'm suggesting that they kill the people that are threatening them. In this case, it may be -- it is likely that the assassination of Qassem Soleimani ultimately will lead to war with Iran. It will make the United States less safe. So I, of course, think that the president has taken grave missteps in the region, but this is likely an overcorrection for lots of mistakes that mounted over the time that he's been in office."
Fox News' Frank Miles contributed to this report.
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