Sen. Lindsey Graham on Thursday disputed President Trump’s claim that U.S. adversaries are sad to see the U.S. leave Syria, and said they are “ecstatic” about the move.
“It is not FAKE NEWS that Russia, Iran, and Assad are unhappy about our decision to withdraw from Syria. They are ECSTATIC!” Graham wrote in a retweet of the president. “When it comes to fighting ISIS I do not believe it is wise to outsource the fight to Rusia, Iran, and Assad. They do not have America’s best interests at heart.”
It is not FAKE NEWS that Russia, Iran, and Assad are unhappy about our decision to withdraw from Syria.
They are ECSTATIC! https://t.co/7cZgEDBbdT
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 20, 2018
Trump said Russia, Iran and others are “not happy” about his decision to leave Syria because they will have to deal with the Islamic State themselves. But Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Trump made the “correct” call on Syria.
Graham is close to Trump on many issues but hasn’t hesitated to criticize the president. On Syria, Graham has broken sharply with Trump on the move to ramp down military intervention.
On Wednesday, Graham said the withdrawal is an “Obama-like” mistake similar to the pullout from Iraq in 2011, which left a vacuum and led to the rise of ISIS.
In a video message, Trump said the U.S. has completed its mission in Syria by defeating the terror group, and he has ordered the roughly 2,000 troops deployed there to come home.
The military will leave as top U.S. adversaries Russia and Iran vie for influence over the war-torn country, and as the Syrian regime seeks to assert control. Recent Pentagon assessments found that ISIS has lost its territory but fighters remain, raising concerns over a resurgence.
The move caught many in Washington by surprise, including Republican leaders on Capitol Hill. It also raised questions about the future of U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters on the ground, who have done the hard fighting against ISIS for years and could now face an onslaught from remaining fighters as well as Turkey.
