Washington, D.C. - House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA) and Vice Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) have written to National Security Advisor Susan Rice asking for clarification on the administration's position on authority necessary to defeat the ISIL terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria.
*As recently as July 25th, Ambassador Rice requested on behalf of the Administration, that the 2002 AUMF be repealed. You can read her letter to Speaker Boehner HERE.
You can read the full letter from Chairman McKeon and Vice Chairman Thornberry HERE
Key excerpts from the letter below:
"In light of the circumstances, especially the clear indications that U.S. military force would be required in Iraq, why did the Administration seek so publicly to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)? In putting forward this request to Congress, did you consult with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Commander of U.S. Central Command, the Secretary of Defense, or the General Counsel of the Department of Defense? In fact, we could ask a similar question about the President’s call last June to repeal the 2001 AUMF.
"We find it implausible that the Pentagon would recommend limiting tools available to the Commander in Chief. Therefore, we must conclude that the request was not made on the basis of best military judgment, but rather for political reasons – to give the American people, as you stated, “…confidence that ground forces will not be sent into combat in Iraq.
"We are gravely concerned that this dissembling does a disservice to our men and women in uniform and the American people….[T]he Administration’s calls for repeal of the very tools the President is relying upon to keep Americans safe must come to an end.”