A former Clinton administration official and longtime Democrat stunned political observers over the weekend by praising President Donald Trump for ordering airstrikes on Iran‘s nuclear sites and saying former Vice President Kamala Harris would not have had the “courage or fortitude” to make the same decision.
Jamie Metzl, who served on the National Security Council under former President Bill Clinton and was deputy staff director for former President Joe Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made the comments in a widely circulated post on X on Sunday.
Recommended Stories
- Sean Duffy 'laser-focused' on work in brushing off 'hit piece' on family
- Iranian strike on US Qatari base met with regionwide condemnation
- Khamenei has few options for asylum and no reason to leave
I served on the National Security Council under President Clinton. I was Joe Biden’s Deputy Staff Director of the Senate foreign Relations Committee. I voted for Kamala Harris and have been a vocal critic of many dangerous and undemocratic actions taken by President Trump.
— Jamie Metzl (@JamieMetzl) June 22, 2025
But…
“I’m not a blind tribalist and am perfectly comfortable praising President Trump for bold and courageous actions in support of America’s core national interests, as he took last night,” Metzl said.
“Although I believe electing Kamala Harris would have been better for our democracy, society, and economy … I also believe VP Harris would not have had the courage or fortitude to take such an essential step as the president took last night,” he said.
The airstrikes, which targeted Iran’s Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz nuclear sites, marked a dramatic escalation aimed at halting Iran’s alleged progress toward developing a nuclear weapon.
Metzl has publicly criticized Trump numerous times and voted for Harris in 2024.
US MILITARY BASE IN QATAR COMES UNDER IRANIAN ATTACK
“Iran has been at war with the United States for 46 years,” Metzl said. “Its regime has murdered thousands of American citizens. Its slogan, ‘Death to America,’ was not window dressing but core ideology.”
He continued, “It was racing toward a nuclear weapon with every intention of using it to threaten America, our allies, and the Middle East region as a whole. No actions like this come without risks … but that’s why these types of decisions are complicated.”