Why the surprise? We’ve been asking for democracy in the mideast. The opposition might like us less than the dictators do.
It’s a constitutional separation of powers question.
Neither of these meetings , while perhaps not technically illegal considering the current state of affairs, are not to seemly anyway you view them, nonetheless, coupled with their’s and others overall reaching-out effort to the more suspect leaders on the Middle East also has a tremendous potential of use as propaganda and clearly circumvents the President in performing the duties and responsibility to handling the foreign affairs side of things...
I don’t particularly care for a “democracy” established that leaves a back door open for the dems to wander in and out whenever it is convenient for them on a first name basis, regardless the effect on our nation and allies or which party holds the WH.