Senator Mike Rounds says lawmakers were told that Iran is “standing down” from Wednesday’s attack.
However, Rounds added a caveat.
“I don’t think that they necessarily intended not to kill Americans,” the senator told me.
Rounds believes the United States was able to move our troops to safety primarily because officials had received advance warning of Iran’s attack.
However, Rounds isn’t certain that Iraq didn’t intend to kill Americans.
“I think they were going to take the risk of sending a message and if there were some American casualties they thought that was an appropriate response for the loss of (General Qassem) Soleimani,” Rounds says.
“I know that with Soleimani being taken out there are Americans that are safer than what they would have been. He was the kingpin, he was their strategist and their tactician all rolled into one.”
Senator Rounds also shed light on reports that Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) is angry with the administration following a briefing on Wednesday.
Two GOP lawmakers rip Trump administration after Iran briefing
Rounds was also at the briefing and says he visited with Senator Lee last night.
“There are two different issues,” Rounds says.
According to Rounds, most of the briefing was on the death of Soleimani and U.S. actions in Iraq.
However, he believes Lee is concerned with a separate issue that was raised by another member during the briefing.
Rounds says there was a hypothetical question on whether the Trump administration would need congressional approval before a similar strike into Iran.
The questions came at the end of the 75 minute briefing and Rounds says administration officials simply ran out of time to answer them.
“They did not do justice to that particular answer,” Rounds says. “That was my opinion.”
CLICK HERE to listen to the entire interview with Senator Rounds
