Posted on 09/05/2017 3:03:27 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) warned President Trump on Tuesday that only Congress can authorize a military strike on North Korea, as tensions with Pyongyang continue to escalate.
The American Civil Liberties Union strongly urges you to uphold the Constitution, and the fundamental principle of separation of powers, by recognizing the sole authority of Congress to declare war and to refrain from the use of force against North Korea in the absence of explicit congressional authorization for the use of force, the group wrote in a letter to Trump on Tuesday.
This drumbeat of threats over the past several weeks has raised concerns across the country about whether you will abide by the check on the presidents power that is fundamental to the Constitutions separation of powers on war authority.
The letter cites a number of comments Trump has made over the past month about North Korea after the country test-fired intercontinental ballistic missiles and carried out its sixth nuclear test.
On Sunday, the most recent nuclear test proved to be its most powerful to date. Pyongyang claimed the detonation successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile.
After the test, Trump said well see when asked whether the United States would attack North Korea.
Defense Secretary James Mattis also warned Sunday that any threats to the United States or its allies would be met with a massive military response.
In August, Trump threatened to bring fire and fury upon North Korea and tweeted that military options were locked and loaded.
In its letter, the ACLU, which said it does not take a position on whether military force should be used against North Korea, highlighted the constitutional authority delegated to Congress to declare war, along with quotes from several framers about the congressionasl role in declaring war.
The group also argued that military action against North Korea would violate international law absent a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing it.
The Congress, as representatives of the American citizenry, has exclusive authority under the Constitution to decide whether the president may use military force, the letter concluded. Particularly in the wake of your recent threats of military action against North Korea with allusions to the possible use of nuclear weapons against another country for the first time since World War II we urge you to make clear that you will refrain from use of force outside the scope of the Constitution and the law.
Exactly! It was just fine when all the others did whatever they wanted.
And btw, with all due respect to the Founders, with today's 24/7 news cycle and the Internet, going through a lengthy debate in Congress just gives everyone an advance warning. It is a fine line. We don't want a dictator, but we also benefit from the element of surprise.
They are conflating “use of force” and “declaration of war”.
If we have to depend on Congress for anything we are done for.....looking for ‘Korean Fluency in 7 Days’ now.....
The hypocrisy is even worse. Trump has not actually taken any military action yet. How do they know in advance that he would not do so legally?
Trump to ACLU: There’s only a cease-fire in place. Go do some history larnin’
That pic is scary as Sh1+!!
It must be the ‘Calvinball’ Clause; it only applies when Republicans are President.
It's a disturbing list if one has any regard for the Republic. But for treasonous bastards like the sewage who inhabit the ACLU to try and refer to the Constitution is way beyond the Pale.
We never declared war in Korea. That's when this nonsense began.
They ACLU is right. Of course, they never would've said this 2009-2017 or 1993-2001.
No. Only Congress can declare war, but the Commander-in-Chief is in charge of our military. Thank God it's President Trump rather than the Community-Organizer-in-Chief we finally got rid of after eight terrible years!
Ok, so we need to wait until San Francisco is wiped off the face of the earth by a nuclear blast before we can do anything. Got it
Why heck, a declaration of war was actually made for WW2.
Sure just like they did for Truman.
Oh
Wait
You are wrong f******
And only the ACLU doesn’t know how to read the Constitution.
[What does Ruth Buzzi Ginsberg say?]
We’re trying not to wake her. She might have some stupid liberal thing to say.
Assad wonders too.
They must have missed that one......ya know....
I see she got her appetite back.
Someone needs to remind the monnbats at the ACLU that Donald Trump, the president, is the Commander in Chief, not the Congress.
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