WASHINGTON \u2014 Lawmakers from both parties criticized the Trump administration after Democrats were not invited to a briefing Wednesday on U.S. military strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Mark Warner, of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, told reporters at a news conference in the Capitol on Thursday that the partisan briefing was a “new low” for the administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“That is not how the system is supposed to work,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trump administration has launched at least 14 strikes on vessels that it claims were involved with drug trafficking since early September. Calls for transparency into the strikes from members of Congress, including allies of Trump, have grown in recent weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Democrats have \u201cbeen denied essential information about these airstrikes. From everything we have been told, there are very severe questions about the legality of these strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several Republican senators told NBC News that Democrats should have been included in the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said that it was “an unfortunate situation” that Democrats were not briefed but that he believed they would be included in future briefings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I wish it wouldn\u2019t have happened this way,” he said. “It did, but I\u2019ve talked to a number of my colleagues already and told them that we still agree that this should be delivered on a bipartisan basis.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rounds also said that based on the briefing, he believes the strikes were legal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., also said Democrats should have been briefed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I don\u2019t think any administration should leave out any party from a briefing that level of importance,” he said, adding, “I think all of that should be available to people who oversee them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close ally of Trump\u2019s, said that it \u201cwouldn\u2019t be appropriate\u201d for Democrats not to be briefed and that \u201cthe goal is to brief everybody, not just Republicans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Warner said he was incensed to learn that the administration shared its legal justification for the strikes during the briefing, since Secretary of State Marco Rubio had \u201cpersonally promised\u201d him that information would be shared with the bipartisan Gang of 8, which still has not happened yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked by NBC News whether he got an explanation for why Democrats were excluded, Warner said: \u201cWe got a ham-handed \u2018Oh, maybe you\u2019re right.\u2019 … I say bulls—.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The White House accused Democrats of “pushing bogus claims about the administration\u2019s efforts to kill narcoterrorists to distract from their decision to shut the government down and force federal employees and military servicemembers to work without pay.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The Department of War has held nine bipartisan briefings on narcoterrorist strikes, with additional bipartisan briefings scheduled, and individually works through requests from the Hill,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. “It\u2019s pathetic that these Democrats care more about running cover for foreign drug smugglers and illegal immigrants seeking taxpayer-funded health care than paying federal workers and protecting American citizens from deadly narcotics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, also said he disagrees with the premise that Democrats were left out because Democrats are \u201cfree to do whatever they want to do. They can ask for a briefing, just like we got.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThose of us that are on the Intelligence Committee, Republicans or Democrats, can get briefings anytime they want on these,\u201d Risch said. \u201cIt\u2019s not unusual for us to ask for briefings individually or as a group or, for that matter, as Republicans. Democrats do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the House Armed Services Committee held a bipartisan classified briefing on the strikes Thursday. But Democratic committee member Jason Crow, of Colorado, told NBC News that Pentagon lawyers were pulled away from the briefing at the last minute, so members did not get any legal justifications for the strikes, leaving him \u201cunsatisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rep. Gregory Meeks, of New York, top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement that Thursday’s briefing was \u201cincredible for how little information was shared, how little time the briefers stayed to answer questions, and how completely absent any credible legal rationale was for the administration\u2019s unauthorized, ongoing expansion of these strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n