Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) said that Operation Epic Fury had “for sure degraded” Iranian nuclear capabilities, as Bill Maher pressed her on the Iran war on Friday.
“I can say very openly, as a national security person, we have for sure degraded their nuclear capabilities, for sure degraded their ballistic missile capabilities — important things in terms of the Iranian government,” Slotkin said, while also noting the conflict over the Strait of Hormuz.
Maher was questioning Slotkin on Senate Democrats’ near-unanimous opposition to the war in Iran. He pointed out Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) as the only Senate Democrat who has openly dissented from his party to support Operation Epic Fury.
“Is that really the case — that really there’s only one person in the whole party who thinks differently? You all miraculously came to the exact same conclusion about Iran?” Maher asked.
“No, I think it’s different than that,” Slotkin responded. “I’m a former CIA officer, I did three tours in Iraq, so I have no love lost for the Iranian government. The Iranian leadership killed friends of mine with rockets, mortars, and IEDs. But that’s different from just running headlong into a war without being able to articulate your goals and how you’re going to get out of it.”
Slotkin — who comes from a national security background, serving under former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama — has maintained this stance against the Iranian regime but also against action that would jeopardize American troops in the region since Operation Midnight Hammer.
In June 2025, Slotkin called the regime a “state sponsor of terror that has long held out the threat of a potential nuclear weapon over the region,” but also was wary of Iranian retaliation after the Midnight Hammer strikes on their nuclear facilities.
“Tonight, I’m focused on the safety of the over 40,000 U.S. forces in the Middle East, and their loved ones back home, concerned about retaliation and what comes next,” Slotkin said in June.
Slotkin also spoke to Maher about her bipartisan bill aimed at preventing government officials from insider trading on prediction markets, which she introduced alongside co-sponsors Sens. Todd Young (R-IN), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and John Curtis (R-UT). She related the bill to the Iran war.
HOUTHIS CLAIM FIRST MISSILE ATTACK ON ISRAEL SINCE START OF IRAN WAR
Slotkin told Maher that “no one should be able to place a bet based on insider information they have, especially on issues of war and peace,” and called the possibility a “complete operational security risk.”
“If you’re the Iranians and you’re sitting there and you’re like, ‘Huh, I noticed there’s a bunch of bets coming in for a war tomorrow.’ It’s like, ‘Oh sh*t. I think we’re about to have a war,’” Slotkin said.