Rubio: “We’ve complied with the law 100%”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that President Trump did not need congressional approval to launch strikes on Iran, arguing the administration complied with federal notification requirements and that no president has accepted the War Powers Act as constitutional.

“We notified Congress. We notified the Gang of Eight. We notified the congressional leadership. There’s no law that requires us to do that,” he told reporters on Capitol Hill ahead of a briefing with top congressional leaders. “The law says we have to notify them 48 hours after beginning hostilities. We’ve done that.”

“But there’s no law that requires the president to have done anything with regards to this. To begin with, no presidential administration has ever accepted the War Powers Act as constitutional,” he added. “We’ve complied with the law 100%, and we’re going to continue to comply with it.”

Secretary Rubio also said there are no ongoing diplomatic efforts with Iran and warned that the “hardest hits are yet to come.”

“I’m not going to give away the details of our tactical efforts, but the hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military. The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now,” he said.