Sen. Lindsey Graham said President Trump was risking the safety of the nation as well as putting his presidency on the line with his decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria.
Graham, who has been an ally of the president, told Axios that Trump’s Syria decision was “putting the nation at risk” and “putting his presidency at risk.”
“And I hope he will adjust his policies like he did before. That would actually be a sign of real leadership,” Graham said Tuesday. “If I hear the president say one more time, ‘I made a campaign promise to get out of Syria,’ I’m going to throw up.”
“The president is not ending the war. He’s creating a bigger war if he does not change course,” Graham said.
Graham said he has not spoken with Trump since the announcement: “He knows how I feel.”
The White House abruptly announced on Sunday that Trump had endorsed Turkey’s plan to launch an offensive against America’s Kurdish allies in northern Syria. The Kurdish fighters who lead the Syrian Democratic Forces have been among America’s most effective partners in the fight against the Islamic State.
Reports Tuesday said Turkey was likely to invade northern Syria within 24 hours, despite the United States warning that it did not condone Turkey’s military operations against the Kurds.
“You do NOT have a green light to enter into northern Syria,” Graham tweeted. “There is massive bipartisan opposition in Congress, which you should see as a red line you should not cross.”
If you want to destroy what is left of a fragile relationship, a military invasion of Syria will do the job. #StandWithTheKurds
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 8, 2019
