Connecticut U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy Friday blasted the Trump administration for the firing of 59 missiles at a Syrian air base, saying responses to Syrian war crimes should be better thought out as part of a strategy crafted in conjunction with Congress.
President Donald Trump Thursday said he ordered the strikes in response to Syria’s use of chemical weapons on its citizens as part of the country’s civil war.
Murphy released the following statement in response:
“An ill-thought out military action with absolutely no overall strategy for Syria risks dragging us further into a civil war in which we cannot tip the scales. And put in the context of U.S. polices that aid the slaughter of civilians in Yemen and deny terrorized Syrians the ability to flee their dystopian existence, a solitary air strike exposes the immoral hypocrisy of this administration’s policy in the Middle East. Yes, Bashar al-Assad should pay a price for the slaughter of civilians in Syria. But the decision over the nature of that consequence is not for President Trump to make alone. The Constitution states that only Congress can authorize military activity, and President Trump should have sought congressional approval before taking action. Having failed to do so, he now must come to Congress and explain his policy in Syria and seek authorization for any continued military action.”
Click here and here for previous stories in which Murphy addressed his broader view of how to approach challenges in Syria and elsewhere.
Sometimes a missle is just a cigar...in this case a $250,000 cigar...or rather 60 of them.