Trump's Iran strike divides Georgia Republicans -- and Democrats too
Published in News & Features
ATLANTA — President Donald Trump’s decision Saturday to bomb key nuclear sites in Iran drew praise from most top Georgia Republicans — but also revealed a sharp break within the GOP ranks and a divide among Democrats.
Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Attorney General Chris Carr and Insurance Commissioner John King were among the senior Republicans who praised the attack, which Trump dubbed a “spectacular military success.”
“This is what peace through strength looks like,” said House Speaker Jon Burns, echoing other Trump allies who endorsed the attack.
But Trump’s decision to inject the U.S. into a simmering conflict in the Middle East also showed how the strike could splinter his political base, with some of the strongest pushback coming from U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The Rome Republican, a potential candidate for governor and close Trump ally, warned that U.S. involvement could “pull America back 20 years” and questioned why the president would intervene.
“Israel is a nuclear armed nation. This is not our fight,” she said Saturday. “Peace is the answer.”
Top Georgia Democrats, meanwhile, were largely silent on Saturday. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and state Sen. Jason Esteves – both leading contenders for governor – had no immediate comment.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, the state’s first Jewish U.S. senator, called on the White House to “promptly and fully“ brief Congress on the military strategy.
Earlier this week, he responded to criticism from Jewish leaders about his silence on the conflict with a statement on the broader Israel-Iran war.
“While I celebrate the success of Israeli air defenses downing incoming Iranian missiles,” wrote Ossoff, who is facing reelection next year, “I mourn the terrible loss of life that has resulted from those that have landed.”
While other senior Democrats seeking statewide office stayed silent, several other influential party figures laid bare the party’s internal divide over Trump’s military strikes.
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, the former chair of the state party, said Trump shouldn’t have ordered the strikes without congressional approval. State Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Democrat who is the lone Palestinian-American in the Legislature, echoed that sentiment.
“This illegal action is opposed by the majority of Americans, will put us all in danger, and only benefits weapons manufacturers and war mongers,” she said.
By contrast, state Rep. Esther Panitch, a Democrat who is the only Jewish member of the state Legislature, credited Trump for ordering the attacks.
“God bless the USA and Israel,” she said.
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