GOP lawmakers say Pentagon didn’t provide sufficient info about potential ground op against Iran

Republican lawmakers say Pentagon officials failed to give a congressional panel sufficient information regarding a potential US ground operation against Iran during a classified briefing earlier today.

“We want to know more about what’s going on, what the options are, and why they’re being considered, and we’re just not getting enough answers on those questions,” House Armed Services Committee chair Mike Rogers tells reporters after the hearing.

Rogers says troops movements in the Middle East should be “thoughtful and deliberate,” indicating that what he heard from Pentagon officials didn’t reflect that.

“That’s what I conveyed to them at the end of this hearing, is this has consequences if you don’t remedy it,” he adds.

Given Rogers’ hawkish reputation, his criticism indicates that US President Donald Trump could lose support from key members of his party if he proceeds with a ground operation against Iran.

The hearing comes as the Pentagon prepares to deploy thousands of troops from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.

Asked about Rodgers’ concerns, Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker tells reporters, “Let me put it this way: I can see why he might have said that.”

Also upset by the hearing was fellow Republican Nancy Mace, who has been more critical of the war from the get-go.

“Just walked out of a House Armed Services briefing on Iran. Let me repeat: I will not support troops on the ground in Iran, even more so after this briefing,” tweets Mace.

“The justifications presented to the American public for the war in Iran were not the same military objectives we were briefed on today in the House Armed Services Committee. This gap is deeply troubling. The longer this war continues, the faster it will lose the support of Congress and the American people,” she adds in a separate post.