Mitch McConnell says he is 'gravely concerned' about Trump's actions, but he doesn't want to blame Trump.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Republicans are criticizing Donald Trump's strategy in Syria and its already tragic fallout — but they are leaving Trump's name out of it.
Kurds are being killed by the Turkish military and ISIS terrorists are escaping after Trump announced that the United States would be withdrawing from its presence in Syria.
On Monday, McConnell announced his opposition to the withdrawal.
"Withdrawing American leadership from this pivotal region would not serve our nation’s short-, medium-, or long-term interests. It would only make a troubling situation much worse, not only for regional partners such as Israel and Jordan but for the United States as well," he said in a statement.
McConnell said he was "gravely concerned" by the strategy and that abandoning the fight by moving U.S. forces "would re-create the very conditions that we have worked hard to destroy and invite the resurgence of ISIS."
McConnell also said the action "would also create a broader power vacuum in Syria that will be exploited by Iran and Russia."
McConnell said such an outcome would be "catastrophic" for the United States.
But not once in his entire 233-word missive did McConnell mention Trump, who made the unilateral decision to withdraw U.S. troops despite warnings from military leaders as well as members of Trump's own party.
Other Republican leaders also omitted Trump from their criticisms.
Rep. Liz Cheney (D-WY) said what is happening in Syria is a "shameful disaster" but didn't mention Trump.
"ISIS killers will now escape & boost chances of a resurgence," wrote Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who also mentioned that America's national security interests in Syria "are significantly worse off now." He also failed to mention Trump.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) noted the execution of Kurdish politicians and civilians, the escape of ISIS-related figures, and "potential war" between Turkey and other forces that are "a direct result of our withdrawal."
But he also omitted Trump's name.
Meanwhile, Trump is attempting to paper over the problem by announcing his purported intention to impose sanctions on Turkey. But there have already been dire consequences to his new strategy, including Kurdish fatalities and increased danger for Americans.
Republicans in Congress have been vocal about their opposition to Trump's decision, but some of them, including McConnell, are still trying to avoid holding Trump responsible for his actions.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
