At the height of the public feud between President Trump and Sen. Bob Corker, the head of the retiring Senate Foreign Relations Committee said that Trump’s incompetence could put the country “on the path to World War III.” In an effort to head off President Trump and his wildly inconsistent statements about the use of nuclear weapons, Sen. Corker has announced that the committee he chairs will hold a hearing next week to review President Trump’s “authority” to use nuclear weapons.
“A number of members both on and off our committee have raised questions about the authorities of the legislative and executive branches with respect to war making, the use of nuclear weapons, and conducting foreign policy overall,” Corker said in a statement. “This continues a series of hearings to examine those issues and will be the first time since 1976 that this committee or our House counterparts have looked specifically at the authority and process for using U.S. nuclear weapons. This discussion is long overdue, and we look forward to examining this critical issue.”
The committee will hear testimony from several experts, some of whom have publicly criticized President Trump’s foreign policy, including a retired general and National Security Council and Department of Defense officials from the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
During his Asia trip, President Trump warned North Korea not to “try” the United States while urging the country to end its nuclear weapons programs. In response, North Korea said they’re no longer listening to “mad dog” Trump.
(Via Talking Points Memo & CNBC)