Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly questioned the Trump administration's strikes in the Caribbean, adding that the legal justification given to lawmakers was far from satisfactory.
Speaking to ABC News, Kelly described the meeting with Trump officials. "They were tying themselves in knots trying to explain this. We had a lot of questions for them, both Democrats and Republicans. It was not a good meeting. It did not go well."
The Arizona senator went on to criticize the possibility of conducting land attacks in Venezuela, especially after the Trump administration sent the USS Ford aircraft carrier to the region.
"You don't move a battlegroup all the way from where it was to the Caribbean. Unless you're planning on either to intimidate the country, which is rather intimidating, or you're going to start conducting combat operations in Venezuela. And this doesn't make the United States more safe. This makes us less safe. I mean, starting a war against Venezuela over what is a law enforcement action does not make any sense," Kelly added.
Kelly is among several lawmakers looking for the Trump administration to give more information about the campaign. Even though most Republicans have backed the government's explanation and not requested more information, some cracks are appearing in the caucus.
Sen. Todd Young said last week he is seeking to "learn more" about the campaign. Speaking to Axios, Young said "Congress isn't hearing enough — in any form, including a public forum." He went on to say that lawmakers need to be involved in the discussion of legal ramifications of the strikes.
"I think Congress needs to go further. Rather than just asserting our ability to authorize military force — which we certainly need to do — we also need to officially bring to close these conflicts and make clear that we have constitutional prerogatives that need to be consistently asserted," Young added.
The lawmaker has also requested a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss the campaign, and asked the Upper House's Foreign Relations Committee to hold oversight hearings.
Sen. Rand Paul is also looking for more information. In fact, he joined a bill introduced by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, which will force a vote to stop Trump from unilaterally declaring war on the South American country.
Paul addressed the move in a social media publication, claiming "it's imperative that we make it clear that war powers reside with Congress, not the president."
However, most of the GOP stands by the president, with Senate Foreign Relations Chair James Risch saying has no plans "at this time" to hold the hearings. He told Axios he has been "briefed on it and feel comfortable with where we are."
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