To: Tom Kertscher, PolitiFact Wisconsin
Tell @PolitiFact, @kertschernews: @RepMarkPocan Is Right, WPR Doesn’t Permit Unauthorized War
Just Foreign Policy
Correct your FALSE claim that "under the War Powers Resolution, the president can send in forces without approval from Congress."
Why is this important?
On April 7, the purported "fact-checking" site "PolitiFact Wisconsin" issued a "ruling" claiming that Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan deserved a "FALSE" rating for saying that there was no legal basis for President Trump's April 6 military attack on Syria. In attempting to justify its claim, "PolitiFact Wisconsin" asserted: "under the War Powers Resolution, the president can send in forces without approval from Congress." [1]
Politifact Wisconsin's claim is FALSE. The War Powers Resolution says: "The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces." [2]
The ACLU says: "President Trump has unilaterally launched strikes against a country that has not attacked us, and without any authorization from Congress. Doing so violates some of the most important legal constraints on the use of force... we have been steadfast in insisting, from the Vietnam War through the wars in Iraq and strikes in Libya and Syria by the Obama administration, that the decision to use military force requires Congress’ specific, advance authorization." [3]
Urge PolitiFact Wisconsin to correct the record by signing our petition.
References:
1. http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2017/apr/07/mark-pocan/mark-pocan-wrongly-claims-donald-trump-had-no-lega/
2. http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/40160-in-attacking-syria-trump-breached-the-war-powers-resolution-s-outer-wall
3. https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/us-strikes-syria-are-illegal-response-atrocity
Politifact Wisconsin's claim is FALSE. The War Powers Resolution says: "The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces." [2]
The ACLU says: "President Trump has unilaterally launched strikes against a country that has not attacked us, and without any authorization from Congress. Doing so violates some of the most important legal constraints on the use of force... we have been steadfast in insisting, from the Vietnam War through the wars in Iraq and strikes in Libya and Syria by the Obama administration, that the decision to use military force requires Congress’ specific, advance authorization." [3]
Urge PolitiFact Wisconsin to correct the record by signing our petition.
References:
1. http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2017/apr/07/mark-pocan/mark-pocan-wrongly-claims-donald-trump-had-no-lega/
2. http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/40160-in-attacking-syria-trump-breached-the-war-powers-resolution-s-outer-wall
3. https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/us-strikes-syria-are-illegal-response-atrocity