RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia’s congressional delegation is divided over President Donald Trump’s decision to strike key nuclear facilities in Iran.
“The world’s a safer place,” Republican Congressman John McGuire (VA-05) told 8News.
“While a war in the Middle East may be easy to start, we have seen throughout recent history that they’re very difficult to get out of,” Democratic Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan told 8News.
McGuire said that Trump made the right decision to strike and make it harder for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“They’re a state sponsor of terrorism, and they sing chants of death to America. They’ve actually killed 1000 American civilians and men and women service members for the US, so they’re a real threat,” McGuire explained.
However, McClellan said while she agrees that Iran should not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, she questions the timing of the strike.
“I would argue that based on what the Israelis have said about the success of their strikes, I don’t know that Iran was capable of being an imminent threat when the President launched those attacks,” McClellan said.
McClellan added that U.S. involvement could escalate tensions, potentially putting Americans at risk at home and abroad.
“They told the President before he acted, they would retaliate. They said they would activate sleeper cells,” McClellan told 8News.
Just about an hour after our interview with McClellan, we learned that Iran launched an attack on American forces in Qatar.
Meanwhile, McGuire, a former Navy SEAL, said while he shares McClellan’s concerns, the chance to ensure Iran can’t develop a nuclear weapon was a risk worth taking.
“The world is a dangerous place, and one thing I learned in the military is there’s a bully on every corner, and if you don’t stand up to them, it just gets worse,” McGuire said.
