U.S. Republican Dave Joyce of Ohio speaks at the event. (Photo: WEWS.)
A Republican congressman from Ohio said President Donald Trump is “hyperbolizing” and showing “bravado” after the commander-in-chief threatened to kill “an entire civilization” if Iran does not reopen its major oil route.
“All civilization will die tonight and will never be restored,” President Donald Trump wrote on social media Tuesday morning. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
The situation ended on Tuesday with the announcement of a two-week ceasefire and Trump backing down on his threats, but they still had a major impact on members of Congress.
Trump announces two-week ceasefire in Iran, backtracking on ‘whole civilization will die’ threat
His comments put Ohio Democratic Sen. Shontel Brown on edge ahead of Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline for an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“It was reckless, embarrassing and crazy,” she said, further criticizing the president. “Honestly, it’s terrifying that this person is in charge now.”
Meanwhile, the post was also clarified by Ohio Republican Rep. Dave Joyce.
“The president has a way of negotiating that is unique to him,” Joyce said. “I am not referring to the things he says or writes on his social media.”
Joyce downplayed Trump’s comments, saying they were a tactic aimed at getting Iranian leaders to reach a deal.
“I think anyone who has dealt with President Trump since he came down the escalator in 2015 realizes that he often exaggerates,” the congressman said.
In previous days, Trump also threatened attacks on power plants and bridges on social media and at press conferences. Asked whether bombing civilian infrastructure could be a war crime, Joyce replied that he was “not worried about it.”
“You have to compare what is happening with what the president is saying,” Joyce said. “But right now, I’d like to think that some of the braggadocio and bravado that the president has to say should be measured against what he actually does.”
Brown, however, mentioned the threat to the lives of millions of people and said Trump’s comments were hazardous and inappropriate.
“This is a president who continues to make threats,” Brown said. “He has no way to govern and it is clear that he has no plan to get out of this ‘war of choice’ that he decided on himself and that was unauthorized by Congress.”
Democrats are now calling on Republicans to reconvene and end the war as quickly as possible.
“When we come back to this issue in session next week, we will have a good chance to have a serious discussion with the White House about what to do next,” Joyce said.
Our news team found Joyce on Tuesday afternoon at an unrelated ribbon-cutting event; no other Republicans in Ohio’s congressional delegation provided comment. Ohio Republican Bob Latta was interviewed at a later date.
Brown, noting that Joyce was a friend, said she was disappointed in his response.
“When my Republican colleagues don’t push back and don’t stand up and do their job, then (Trump) just continues to push the boundaries and it actually puts this fragile thing we call democracy at great risk,” she said.
She added that this not only threatens democracy, but also puts Americans, Iranians and other civilians in the Middle East at risk. It also costs hundreds of millions, if not a billion dollars a day, according to a center-right think tank American Enterprise Institute.
Joyce was asked if this was a good utilize of American taxpayers’ money.
“Look, they have been making the situation in the Middle East worse for 47 years,” he replied. “They have wreaked havoc in every country and spread terrorism beyond their borders, so they finally had to be stopped… We will do what is necessary to finally put an end to this cancer.”
Brown said there are issues in the United States that are worth addressing because this war is unconstitutional. But she had a message for unlucky Ohioans:
“They now have an opportunity to vote and hold people accountable,” Brown said.
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This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
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