Senator Rand Paul has urged the President to stick to the position on Syria that he espoused before taking office – that military intervention will do more harm than good.
The Senator retweeted a tweet from Trump posted in August of 2013, when a similar chemical weapon attack to this week’s was blamed on the Syrian government.
At the Time Trump tweeted “What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval.”
What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2013
While he condemned the reported attacks in the Syrian city of Idlib, Paul noted that what Trump wrote “remains true today as it was in 2013. Both parts.”
This remains true today as it was in 2013. Both parts. https://t.co/sRQkcZ0oDI
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) April 6, 2017
At the time, Trump made his feelings clear after hundreds were killed in the attack, and the Obama administration was on the verge of taking military action.
President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your "powder" for another (and more important) day!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2013
With this week’s atrocity in Syria, it seems Trump may be changing his stance however.
The president said on Wednesday that the attack “crossed a lot of lines for me” and that his “attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much.”
After saying last week that it was up to the Syrian people, rather than outsiders to decide what to do about Assad, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he now believes that Russia needs to reconsider its support of the Assad regime.
In a further interview with Fox & Friends Wednesday, Senator Paul reminded viewers that the support provided by the US government to Syrian rebels in the past has led directly to the current situation in Syria.
Sen. @RandPaul calls for Susan Rice's testimony https://t.co/PIkYorM9qM
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) April 5, 2017
“I think it’s also important to note that on the rebel side that McCain wants to support, are radical Islamists who hate America and hate Israel. And I don’t want to support people who hate our country.” Paul noted.
“I don’t want to support people who say when they’re done with Assad they are going to attack Israel and not ISIS. So it’s a complicated situation. And it may be — may well be a war that has no friends in it. And that makes it a difficult position to watch.” the Senator added.
“But I think also we have actually allowed the situation by pushing Assad back and being part of that. We allowed a vacuum to let ISIS fill that — that’s been a mistake.” Paul urged.
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