Trump Ordering Syria Attack Would Be an Unconstitutional, But Not Uncommon, Presidential Action

Louis Fisher, a Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity Academic Board member and United States Constitution scholar, is quoted, in a Thursday Washington Examiner article by Steven Nelson, declaring that a unilateral decision by President Donald Trump to use military force against Syria would be unconstitutional as well as not authorized under the War Powers Resolution. Yet, Trump taking such action, says Fisher, would also be in line with military actions regularly pursued by previous presidents.

Here is Fisher’s comment:

‘I find no grounds in the Constitution or the War Powers Resolution that would authorize unilateral presidential use of military force against another nation that has not attacked the United States,’ said Louis Fisher, a Constitution Project scholar who formerly worked as senior specialist for separation of powers at the Library of Congress. ‘That fundamental principle has been regularly violated by presidents from Truman [in Korea] through Obama [in Libya].’

Read here the rest of Nelson’s informative article, “Trump would break the law bombing Bashar Assad, some scholars say.”

Reprinted with permission from the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

Comments are closed.