Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) sparked ridicule Thursday after citing a dinner at Vice President JD Vance’s home as evidence he was meeting his oversight responsibilities on the Iran war.
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During a Thursday broadcast on Fox Business, host Stuart Varney asked whether the Senate should step in and exercise more control over the conflict.
“I was at Vice President Vance’s residence recently having dinner, talking about Iran, so we have lots of opportunity to do oversight,” Daines said.
“That is not oversight,” Laura Rozen, a national security journalist, fired back on X.
Former NBC News host Chuck Todd quipped, “When was the VP placed under oath for this oversight dinner, before or after the first course?”
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The war began with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28, and Democrats have forced roughly 10 war powers votes in the Senate since, according to CBS News — with most Republicans voting to block them.
Vance hosted Republican senators for dinner on June 24, The Hill reported, hours after President Donald Trump publicly clashed with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) over Cassidy’s vote for a war powers resolution the previous day.
Just hours following that dinner — and a separate Situation Room briefing with Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff — Cassidy reversed his vote on a nearly identical resolution, CNN reported.
Daines voted against the resolution that passed the Senate 50-48 on June 23, according to The Hill, and showed no signs of wavering Thursday.
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“I think it’s unconstitutional, and I’ll be voting against it,” Daines said.
