President Trump says the US 'did not take action to start a war' following an attack that killed a top Iranian general. Follow live updates.
Trump administration lawyers concluded that Soleimani strike did not need congressional sign off, White House administration lawyers in consultation with national security officials put together a"strong rationale" specifically for the strike against the Iranian general that President Trump, as commander in chief, had the authority to not ask for congressional authorization over a matter of self defense, the administration official said.
A separate administration official says the strike was fully vetted by three different sets of lawyers from the White House, Department of Justice and Department of Defense. All three sets of lawyers deemed the strike was a fully appropriate action and 100% lawful. Part of the legal reasoning was that Soleimani was deemed an enemy combatant because he was in the process of planning specific attacks in the near future on US and allied personnel and citizens, including military personnel.The administration concluded it didn't need congressional sign off from a legal standpoint. The official also pointed out Soleimani had been deemed a foreign terrorist several different times by the US, including two executive orders that date back to 2007.
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