Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last night spoke with Judy Woodruff on PBS Newshour about his meeting with President Trump to discuss the options available to respond to the Iranian government shooting down a U.S. drone earlier this week.
Risch said, in part:
"I was at the table at the White House yesterday with a group of people. The military was represented there. Intelligence was represented there, and a broad spectrum of the political people from Congress were there.
"The president gave everybody an opportunity to express their opinions, to express their view of the upside and downside of all the various options that were there on the table. He listened carefully. He didn't take one side or the other.
"He anguished over this and was very concerned about, obviously, the human aspects of this, what happens when kinetic action is used, but also with his duty to defend America and present the front that America has to present when dealt with confrontation from malign forces.
"What I'm going to say is, this is not a Republican or a Democrat decision. This is an American decision. And the person making — only one person can make that decision. That room was full of people, very high-ranking people, but there was only one person in that room that could make the decision.
"We need to all pray for him as he makes those kinds of decisions."
To watch the full interview, click here.
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