Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said the Trump administration is “flailing around” as the United States escalates its conflict against Iran.
Kelly said he doesn’t want to see “a repeat” of what the U.S. went through with Iraq in 2003 but that the administration is providing a “shifting” justification for entering this conflict. He added the conflict is the result of President Donald Trump putting “a lot of yes people around him,” and the senator thinks it is “not going well” for the administration.
“And how does this help Americans afford their healthcare, which by the way, this president put a big dent in, right?” Kelly said on MS Now’s Morning Joe Wednesday. “Really cut, if you’re somebody on Medicaid or getting your healthcare from the Affordable Care Act exchange, he wanted to give a big tax cut to billionaires. How does this help you?”
“By the way, you know costs are going to go up,” Kelly said. “Energy prices are going to go up. That’s going to affect everything. How does this directly affect people that can’t afford their lives? I don’t see it. I don’t see how it helps them. I don’t see how this makes Americans safer. I mean, when you start talking about an imminent threat that is in the future, you’re flailing.”
Kelly also criticized Trump’s dismissal of concerns that the U.S. operation in Iran is impacting critical munition stockpiles, saying it’s a matter of “which magazine runs out first.” The former Navy combat pilot added he doesn’t believe Trump has “the kind of respect that typical presidents have” for military members and their challenges.
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The senator came to blows with the Trump administration when he was one of six Democratic lawmakers urging military and intelligence personnel to “refuse” unspecified illegal orders. The Pentagon sought to cut Kelly’s retired military rank and pension pay following the video’s release, though this was blocked by a U.S. judge last month.
The Justice Department appealed this ruling on Feb. 24.
Washington Examiner senior political correspondent Byron York said Tuesday that voters “don’t care” about foreign policy and instead care about the cost of living. He also said the conflict in Iran can either help or hurt Trump and the Republican Party, with the determining factor being the mission’s success.
The Washington Examiner contacted Kelly’s office for comment.