Following Saturday's joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said Congress is moving toward a war powers vote before lawmakers have all the facts.
In a Monday morning appearance on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," Mace backed President Donald Trump's decision to strike — while urging Capitol Hill to slow down on voting to limit his authority.
She said Trump "made a good argument yesterday and on Saturday when he delivered his speech to the United States," calling Iran "the No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism in the world."
The regime in Tehran has "killed hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans over the last four decades," Mace said, and warned that "there is no peace in the Middle East if Iran goes nuclear."
"What most of America does not know are the classified briefings many of us have had on the House Armed Services Committee and Intel committees," she said.
"You don't realize just how close Iran was to getting a nuclear weapon," Mace added, saying a nuclear Iran "would be devastating for the United States, for Israel, for our allies, for the Gulf states."
The congresswoman noted those Gulf partners "hated the regime as well," arguing the military action is unlike previous Middle East conflicts the U.S. has been involved in.
"Anyone comparing Iran to Iraq doesn't understand the geopolitical ramifications," she said, pointing to the country's size, population and opposition movements.
"In Iran, you've got 90 million Iranians," Mace said, adding "the vast majority of Iranians want a free, democratic country of Iran that is non-nuclear."
Asked about videos of people celebrating after the death of Iran's supreme leader, she called it "a real opening" for change and echoed Trump's call for "IRGC soldiers and police" to lay down their weapons.
Mace said Democrats' denunciations of the strikes are misplaced and contrasted the criticism with the actions of former Democrat President Barack Obama.
"Obama bombed eight countries during his presidency without congressional authorization," she said, arguing he "exceeded the 60-90 day limit" in the 1973 law.
But the South Carolina Republican's main warning on Monday was aimed at Congress itself.
"We're going to vote on war powers this week, which I don't mind having a vote on it, but it is premature," Mace said. "It's extremely premature when you have not had that classified briefing yet that you'll get on Tuesday, both the Senate and the House, on what was the trigger, no pun intended, on this deal."
She argued that lawmakers haven't "given the president nearly enough time" and predicted that the Iran operation could take "days or weeks."
"I don't think it's going to be months and years, but we can have this conversation in 30-60 days once we see where we are," she added.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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