As Democrats clamor for President Donald Trump's impeachment over his military strikes on Iran's nuclear capabilities that they say violated the War Powers Act, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he agrees with a number of "respected constitutional experts" who believe the 1973 law is unconstitutional.

Johnson has already said he won't move forward on any vote to limit Trump's war powers, and he followed up that statement by stating his belicf in the current law's unconstitutionality.

“Many respected constitutional experts argue that the War Powers Act is itself unconstitutional. I’m persuaded by that argument,” Johnson told reporters in the Capitol. “They think it’s a violation of the Article II powers of the commander in chief. I think that’s right."

Johnson's position stymies bipartisan efforts to prevent Trump from taking any further action to strike Iran.

Height of hypocrisy

“President Trump must not be allowed to start a war with Iran, or any country, without Congressional approval,” lawmakers including Reps. Thomas Massie (R=KY) and Ro Khanna (D=CA)  said in a joint statement.

More than a dozen Democrat lawmakers led by Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) agreed with most Republicans that Trump was given the right as commander-in-chief of the armed forces to unilaterally strike a nation as long as he notifies Congress in a timely manner after the fact, which he did.

Johnson pointed out rightly that previous presidents have launched strikes on a number of countries without congressional authorization, including U.S. strikes in Syria and Yemen, under former President Biden; in Syria and Libya, under former President Obama; and in Bosnia, under former President Clinton.

No one questioned a president's right to do this until Trump did it, which is the very height of hypocrisy and disingenuousness.

Rare consistency

“Every one of those actions were taken unilaterally and without prior authorization from Congress,” Johnson said. “The bottom line is the commander in chief is the president, the military reports to the president, and the person empowered to act on the nation’s behalf is the president.”

“The last few days have unfolded exactly as the law outlines, and as history has demonstrated, and as the framers of the Constitution intended,” he added.

One rare case of Democrat consistency is Rep. Ted Lieu (CA), who said, “I publicly stated at the time that Obama needed congressional authorization to strike Syria. I believe Trump needs congressional authorization to strike Iran."

“My view of the Constitution does not change based on what party the president happens to belong to," he insisted.

Predictably, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) claimed that presidents only have the power to act unilaterally if the U.S. is attacked.

“Many of our members worship at the shrine of the War Powers Act. However, if our country is attacked, all and any powers go to the president to act,” she said. “That didn’t exist here, so the president should have come to Congress.”