The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is OK with President Trump taking unilateral military action against Syria, but believes he needs to come to Congress to determine the next steps.
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said on CNN Friday that Trump has broad powers under the Constitution to conduct military action, but if there’s going to be a larger engagement he needs to ask Congress for the authority.
“We need to do that in the broader context of what the Syrian policy is, how he is going to get rid of President [Bashar] Assad, how is he going to be held accountable for his war crimes,” Cardin said.
Trump ordered 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired at a Syrian air force base Thursday evening, killed six Syrians in the process, according to local reports. The strike was the first American attack on Assad’s forces during the U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war.
The strike was retaliation for Assad’s attack on his own citizens with chemical weapons on Tuesday. Cardin said that attack deserved some sort of action.
Now, there needs to be a better way forward than simple missile strikes on Assad’s bases.
“There’s no military solution here,” Cardin said. “You’re not going to be able to bomb your way to a peace in Syria.
“Syrians must work out their problems, President Assad must be held accountable for his war crimes, he’s lost credibility as a leader, he must leave the presidency. This isn’t just what America thinks, it’s the consensus of the international community.”
