[THEHILL] The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) warned President Trump on Tuesday that only Congress can authorize a military strike on North Korea, as tensions with Pyongyang continue to escalate.You knew something like this was coming.
"The American Civil Liberties Union strongly urges you to uphold the Constitution, and the fundamental principle of separation of powers, by recognizing the sole authority of Congress to declare war ‐ and to refrain from the use of force against North Korea in the absence of explicit congressional authorization for the use of force," the group wrote in a letter to Trump on Tuesday.
"This drumbeat of threats over the past several weeks has raised concerns across the country about whether you will abide by the check on the president’s power that is fundamental to the Constitution’s separation of powers on war authority."
The letter cites a number of comments Trump has made over the past month about North Korea after the country test-fired intercontinental ballistic missiles and carried out its sixth nuclear test.