LEADER JEFFRIES ON CNN: “THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN THEIR TAXPAYER DOLLARS BEING SPENT FOR ANOTHER FAILED REGIME CHANGE WAR”

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN's News Central, where he highlighted the failure of the Trump administration to justify the ongoing strikes in Iran and Democrats' plans to force a War Powers vote this week.

KATE BOLDUAN: Joining me right now is the top Democrat in the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Leader, thank you for being here today.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning.

KATE BOLDUAN: An incredible chain of events that have happened in the last 48 hours and where we are in this moment. One thing we know is you're a member of the Gang of Eight, you're going to be getting a briefing later this morning. What is the biggest question you have going in that you want to or are going to say must have answered by the time you come out?

LEADER JEFFRIES: The administration has failed to provide any justification for these preemptive strikes. And so we'll continue to look for information that they owe the American people to suggest that there was intelligence indicating that Iran was prepared to strike the United States. Nothing has been presented to justify what's taken place up until this point, and the administration has an obligation to be able to prove that.

KATE BOLDUAN: Officials on Saturday said that there was intelligence that Iran could be preparing for a possible preemptive strike. That was contradicted on Sunday by other intelligence as reported to our sources. What you are saying is you have heard no reason for why Donald Trump ordered this strike now versus six months from now?

LEADER JEFFRIES: There's no indication that Iran had reconstituted its nuclear program. There's no indication that Iran was prepared to strike the United States preemptively or to strike any of our interests in the region. And there certainly is no justification for a regime change war. The American people want us to focus on making their life better, making their life more affordable, not getting involved in another endless war in the Middle East that is going to end in failure. This administration somehow found the resources,-has found billions of dollars-for bombs, but can't find any money to actually bring down the high cost of living here in the United States of America.

KATE BOLDUAN: Couple quick things. Four, we've now-CENTCOM has now reported four U.S. service members have been killed in action. Do you know anything about that?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Other than the public reports, nothing has been presented to us, but we mourn with the families of those slain American heroes. And not another single American life should be lost before Congress has had the ability to actually weigh in, which is our plan this week.

KATE BOLDUAN: I want to get to that in just one second. Obviously you are from New York. New York always a target and a concern. The Governor had announced that police are increasing the presence at several places including religious and diplomatic sites in the city. Honestly, Congressman, Leader, how concerned should New Yorkers be about retaliation?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we should all be concerned, that's part of the problem, that Donald Trump has launched this unauthorized war in the Middle East, a very-

KATE BOLDUAN: Do you think it is more dangerous in New York today than it was 48 hours ago?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I think it's fair to say we'll see what is presented to us in the Gang of Eight briefing but that's certainly going to be a point that we're going to continue to make. How does this make any of us safer here in the United States of America, launching this preemptive war against Iran that apparently is a regime change war that has no justification for it connected to the threats that were directed at American interests?

KATE BOLDUAN: Tom Cotton, Republican Chairman of Senate Intelligence, he is obviously supporting this action, supporting the President's moves, and he told Dana Bash yesterday he expects the military operation to be limited to striking missiles, missile launchers and, ultimately, its missile manufacturing capability. If it is limited to that, are you okay with it?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, that remains to be seen whether it's to be limited or not. I don't even understand the justification for what is taking place. What we do know is we're seeing the beginning of an all-out war in the Middle East. At the same period of time where Donald Trump and his administration and Republicans have cut more than a trillion dollars from Medicaid, ripped away food in terms of nutritional assistance from hungry children, seniors and veterans and they're spending our taxpayer dollars to start another war in the Middle East that we know is not going to end well for the American people and that has already cost the lives of four American servicemen or women.

KATE BOLDUAN: You mentioned War Powers. Okay, so votes on the War Powers Resolution are expected this week in the House, in the Senate. You want to constrain the President, the President here, very clearly. There are Democrats that are, though, supporting Trump's operation here, including Senator John Fetterman. Let me play his reasoning.

RECORDING OF SENATOR FETTERMAN: I'm open to a better opportunity for more, more peace and prosperity for the Iranian people, for more security that Israel deserves. So that's a point, and this was not an illegal war based on terms of what the War Powers Act is.

KATE BOLDUAN: He says, based on War Powers, this is not an illegal war. You say what?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, John Fetterman knows better. Article I of the Constitution explicitly provides Congress with the authority to declare war. Period, full stop. And the framers of the Constitution made that decision because they were concerned about kings, throughout time, getting their people into unnecessary wars, impoverishing them or imperiling their very well-being by sending them off to a foreign conflict. And that's why the power was given explicitly to the House and to the Senate. And Donald Trump chose intentionally not to come before Congress, which is why we're going to force this vote on a War Powers Resolution and make sure that we do everything we can to constrain him at this point in time.

KATE BOLDUAN: You need to get Republicans to come on board in order to do this, very clearly. If you don't get Republican support that means what for Congress's role as you watch this play out?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we know it's a bipartisan resolution to begin with, of course, it's being carried by Representative Khanna and Representative Massie. I think there's another Republican-

KATE BOLDUAN: You could lose a couple Democrats.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we're working hard to make sure that that doesn't happen. We know we'll have incredibly strong Democratic support. We'll meet as a Caucus on Wednesday, following the all-Member briefing on Tuesday-

KATE BOLDUAN: So has Congress failed if you do not succeed with these votes?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Republicans have failed. Now, we've seen this wannabe king try to rip away Congress's power of the purse. We've managed to reverse that. He's tried to rip away Congress's power as it relates to tariffs. Working with our attorneys general and governors and others across the country, we've managed to reverse that through the most recent Supreme Court decision. And we're going to do the same thing as it relates to reclaiming Congress's power with respect to matters of war and peace.

KATE BOLDUAN: What do you think happens if the Iranian people don't, quote-unquote, 'rise up' after this?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it's extraordinary that Donald Trump is urging the Iranian people to rise up and acknowledging that this military action is connected to regime change-

KATE BOLDUAN: This has been a winding road, but this did begin with Donald Trump seeing the protests-massive protests-and the bloody crackdown that killed thousands that occurred in Iran. And Donald Trump said very clearly: keep protesting, help is on the way. And this then led to concerns from him on the nuclear program.

LEADER JEFFRIES: There's nowhere in the United States Constitution where it says that we are to be the policemen and women of the world. I mean, that's the reality. Yes, we are the leaders of the free world at this particular point in time, but there's a role for the United State to play in terms of diplomacy, building coalitions, and none of that was done in this particular instance. And the American people, again, are not interested in their taxpayer dollars being spent for another failed regime change war.

KATE BOLDUAN: Heard strong statements coming from the British Prime Minister and from France, a collective statement basically speaking out and saying that they don't support this unprovoked, the way they put it, this kind of unprovoked war. Do you hope though, if this continues, just given the reality that the UK, France, Germany, allies, they stand with the United States, no matter what President Trump decides to do here?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, but that's not clear that that's going to happen because I think what we're seeing in many parts of the world is an understanding that this was not just an unauthorized military set of strikes, it was unjustified. We still haven't been provided any rationale that actually makes sense in terms of protecting the national security of the American people by Donald Trump and this administration.

KATE BOLDUAN: Do you think Trump can pull off a regime change without putting U.S. boots on the ground?

LEADER JEFFRIES: No, that's impossible for him to do. Now he's claiming that he's not going to put U.S. boots on the ground, but he's claimed a lot of things only to do the exact opposite. This is the same person who said he is coming back to the presidency to get America out of endless wars, and now he has just gotten us into a potential endless war in the Middle East, of all places, where we know based on what happened in Afghanistan, based on what happened in Iraq, based on what happened in Libya, it's not going to end well for American interests.

KATE BOLDUAN: Leader Jeffries, thank you for coming in.

Full interview can be watched here.

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