CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) – Northeast Ohioans are reacting to the news that President Donald Trump ordered attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Fox 8 spoke to people in Downtown Cleveland who were either in favor of the attack because of the threat Iran poses, or against it because of the possible repercussions and how it makes America look in their minds.
Jonathan Entin is a law professor at Case Western Reserve University with a background in political science.
He spoke with Fox 8 on Sunday about what could come following the Iranian bombings.
Despite some lawmakers, mostly democrats, calling the president’s order unconstitutional, Entin said he doesn’t foresee any lawsuits or congressional hearings coming.
He noted there could be an argument made that this air attack differs from military strikes ordered by previous presidents without congressional action because there was no attack on or imminent threat to Americans.
Entin also added that a congressional declaration of war hasn’t happened in the United States since the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.
“I think there is certainly room for people to debate whether this was the right thing to do, but I’m not sure we will ever get a clear resolution from the federal judiciary about whether what President Trump did was consistent with the Constitution,” he said
Entin shared that it’s his opinion that Iran will try to respond because it was such a direct attack, but how they’ll respond and when they’ll be able to respond isn’t clear. He doesn’t have a crystal ball, but he doesn’t see the country following President Trump’s warning of more attacks if there isn’t peace.
“There’s a wide range of possibilities and, presumably, the administration is paying attention to those things because these tensions and conflicts with Iran didn’t start when President Trump returned to office in January. They’ve been going for a good, long time,” Entin explained.
Entin added that a direct attack on America would be harder for Iran because of the distance between the countries, and it could choose to continue to attack Israel. He also shared that Iran could look to impact the United States by trying to choke the flow of oil coming out of the Middle East.
