Republicans voice objections to Trump's 'whole civilization' threat

A small number of Republican lawmakers publicly criticized President Trump's statement that "a whole civilization will die tonight"; key GOP leaders largely remained silent.

President Donald Trump posted a message saying "a whole civilization will die tonight" in the context of the conflict with Iran. A small number of Republican elected officials publicly objected to that statement. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune were largely silent. Democrats have urged Congress to reconvene to address the situation. Key points: - The president posted a message reported as threatening broad destruction of Iran's civilization. - Rep. Nathaniel Moran, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and Rep. Kevin Kiley publicly rejected that rhetoric. - A handful of other Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie, have opposed the war in other actions, while most congressional GOP leaders did not comment. - Democrats have demanded Speaker Johnson call the House back to vote on a resolution disapproving the conflict, and some Democrats have called for removal efforts such as invoking the 25th Amendment or pursuing impeachment. Summary: A two-week ceasefire was announced less than two hours before the deadline tied to the president's message. The limited Republican objections amount to a rare dissent within the party, while Democratic leaders have sought to reconvene the House to vote on a disapproval resolution and some have called for removal measures. Undetermined at this time.