FLASHBACK: Nancy Pelosi defended Obama’s Libya strikes without congressional approval

A clip of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has resurfaced online in which she defended the then-Obama administration’s decision to strike Libya — without congressional approval that she believes President Donald Trump should have gotten before launching his own strikes over the weekend.

“You’re saying the president didn’t need approval in the first place and he doesn’t need approval from Congress on Libya?” a reporter asked Pelosi at a press conference back in 2011.

“Yes,” Pelosi answered flatly.

The blunt response contrasted sharply with Pelosi’s view of Trump’s strikes against Iran on Saturday.

In a joint effort to target Iran’s military leadership, the US and Israel assassinated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, citing the need to stop Iran’s efforts to build a nuclear weapon.

Pelosi immediately criticized the project.

“President Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran starts another unnecessary war that puts our workers at risk and destabilizes an already fragile region,” Pelosi said in an email to X.

“The Constitution is clear: decisions that lead our nation to war must be approved by Congress.”

Pelosi, along with other Democrats, is pursuing a military resolution that would restrict Trump from taking military action against Iran without congressional approval.

Trump’s strikes are similar to President Barack Obama’s decision to invade Libya in 2011 under Operation Odyssey Dawn.

In that campaign, Obama ordered a series of strikes against Libya in March 2011, aimed at stopping Muammar Gaddafi from attacking protesters.

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September 14, 2012: President Barack Obama, accompanied by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaks during the Transfer of Remains, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP)

Gaddafi, known as the “Mad Dog of the Middle East,” was the ruler of Libya from 1969 to 2011. He had a long and complicated relationship with the US – sometimes aligning with national goals and, at others, ruling in a way that the US could not ignore.

The last draft emerged from the Libyan uprising in 2011, when protests broke out in Benghazi and other cities. As with the recent revolution in Iran, Gaddafi faced the threat to his rule with great force, marching his forces into several Libyan cities that were opposed to his power.

In what he described as efforts to respect international law, Obama said that the United States, in cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), strikes to protect the citizens of Libya in order to protect the people of Libya.

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“We hit the soldiers who approached Benghazi to save that city and the people inside it,” said Obama, commenting after the attack.

The strikes did not kill Gaddafi.

Gaddafi was killed later that year by rebels in October.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi waves to his supporters during a speech in Tripoli, Libya. As rebels poured into Tripoli late Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. (Associated Press)

Although Obama said he consulted with a group of Congressional lawmakers, he did not pursue a declaration of war before making his strikes.

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“Therefore, for those who doubted our ability to do this job, I want to be clear: The United States of America did what we said we would do,” said Obama.

Pelosi’s office did not respond to a request for comment on whether she saw any significant differences between Obama’s attacks and those ordered by Trump.

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