Thread by @jaketapper

Senate Minority Leader @ChuckSchumer: "I'm a member of the Gang of Eight" - bipartisan House/Senate leaders and of Intel Committees -- "which is typically briefed in advance of operations of this level of significance.

"We were not....

2/ "It is paramount for administration's to get an outside view to prevent groupthink and rash action to be asked probing questions...The administration did not consult...and I fear that those very serious questions have not been answered, and may not be fully considered.

3/ "Among those questions: What was the legal basis for conducting this operation— and how far does that legal basis extend? Iran has many dangerous surrogates in the region, and a whole range of possible responses. Which responses do we expect? Which are most likely?

4/"...Do we have plans to counter all of the possible responses? How effective will our counters be?
What does this action mean for the long term stability of Iraq and the trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives sacrificed there?

5"...How does the administration plan to manage an escalation of hostilities? And how does the administration plan to avoid a larger, and potentially endless conflagration in the Middle East?

6/ "...It is my view that the President does not have the authority for a war with Iran. If he plans a large increase in troops and potential hostility over a longer time, the administration will require congressional approval and the approval of the American people.

7"...The President's decision may add to an already dangerous and difficult situation in the Middle East...
This action may well have brought our nation closer to another endless war—exactly the kind of endless war the President promised he would not drag us into."