Cardin: 'Extremely Difficult' for Congress to Curb Trump

President Donald Trump is acting in a way that is "reckless and dangerous," and he's putting the United States at "much greater risk," when it comes to both North Korea and the Iran nuclear deal, Sen. Ben Cardin said Thursday.

"We're close now to a military confrontation in North Korea," the Maryland Democrat and ranking party member for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. "What he's planning to do in Iran, the results of that are very unclear. I agree with Sen. [Bob] Corker [R-Tennessee] that the president's comments are reckless and dangerous."

However, it would be "extremely difficult" for Congress to take action to curb Trump, Cardin said, after being asked if there was something that could be done to keep him from launching a first strike against North Korea.

"The president has inherent powers and it's difficult for Congress to prevent the president from exercising his immediate authority as commander in chief," Cardin said. "But, we could set up guardrails that could be helpful. What we have said before, the use of force should be controlled by Congress. We have not authorized the use of military force in North Korea."

Former Ambassador to South Korea Christopher Hill, also appearing in the segment, commented that he does believe there are many reasons to be concerned about the growing tensions with North Korea.

"I don't know where he got a North Korean speechwriter, but he sounds just like the North Koreans," Hill said, claiming that Trump does not understand all the factors coming into play. "We have to understand the U.S. is not exerting adult leadership here."

However, Hill said he does not take seriously reports, denied by Trump as "fake news" that the president had asked questions about increasing the nation's nuclear arsenal.

"I think it speaks to the fact that we have a president who simply refuses to analyze things and only looks at things in terms of being tough," Hill said. "I think it's also important to understand that we can, to use the president's term, destroy North Korea many times over, and we don't need nuclear weapons for that. We have plenty of assets."

Cardin, meanwhile, said he does not think Trump's plan have Congress exercise a process to back the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal is in the best interest of the United States.

"We do know we have 60 days to exercise an expedited process that would back us out of the Iran nuclear agreement," he said. "The pressure may build on Congress to take a vote on that, and the outcome is certainly not clear. "

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