Virginia State Sen. Richard Black Warned against War on Iran, ‘I Voted for Trump, Not Bolton’

June 26, 2019 (EIRNS)—Virginia state Senator Richard Black (R) appeared on RT America June 21, to address the Iran crisis. Responding to questions from “Big Picture” host Holland Cooke, Senator Black made the point that Iran represents absolutely no threat to U.S. national security and advised President Donald Trump to stand down the military and remove U.S. ships and manpower from provocative positions.

Regarding Iran’s shooting down a U.S. drone, Black, who retired with the rank of colonel from the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, indicated that he believed that the U.S. drone was over Iranian airspace, one element of evidence being that Iran, and not the U.S. military, was able to recover the drone.

Once again Senator Black warned of the magnitude of the casualties involved in a war, saying he believed that at least 20,000 U.S. troops would be killed and another 60-80,000 wounded. Some 1 million Iranians including men, women and children would be killed, he stated.

Referring to the open letter he had sent to President Trump on May 22, Black reiterated that he had voted to elect Donald Trump—not John Bolton—and that he feared that President Trump would suffer a devastating defeat in 2020 if he allowed the nation to be plunged into war.