'Flailing' Trump now has Hegseth 'trying to get around the Constitution': Veteran Dem

A Democratic lawmaker raised red flags over a rhetorical shift in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's latest press briefing on the Iran war.

The Pentagon chief repeatedly stressed that Project Freedom, an effort to move ships through the Strait of Hormuz, was separate from Operation Epic Fury, and CNN's John Berman asked Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) about the significance of Hegseth's point of emphasis.

"Well, they're trying to get around the Constitution, frankly, which is very clear that a war which we are certainly in requires the consent of the people through the Congress," said Ryan, a West Point graduate and combat veteran who serves on the House Armed Services Committee. "Last week they put up a total BS argument, some twisted legal logic that we were calling a pause, almost like it's a video game or something, and somehow the clock stops on this war, which is just not what the law calls for, and now they're trying to get really cute here, almost, and say, well, this is something different."

"The reality for our troops on the ground is this is all part of a war that the president started over two months ago," Ryan added, "and the reality for the American people at the pump, at the grocery store and everywhere else, as costs are skyrocketing, is that this is all part of this same war, and we've seen, unfortunately, the level of angst and concern among public polling. The American people see what's happening, and, unfortunately, they are not supportive of this."

The War Powers Act of 1973 requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops and then mandates their withdrawal after 60 days unless Congress declares war, and Ryan said the rhetorical sleight of hand seems to be intended to restart that clock.

"Any objective observer would say this war was initiated, you know, Feb. 28," Ryan said. "The things that flow from it, which certainly is, I mean, the strait was wide open before this. Now we're stuck in a situation where, as we all know, the strait is closed. We're blockading a blockade, which makes very little sense, and essentially both sides are paying the price here, and this is the president flailing to try to get us out of this and, again, the people who pay the price are our troops and the American people, so I don't buy this."

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