McCain Calls Out Trump to Act After Syria Chemical Attack: Assad ‘Emboldened by American Inaction’

Senator John McCain is publicly calling on President Trump to take concrete action in response to the Syrian chemical attack.

In a statement today hours after the President’s tweets condemning the attack and calling out Vladimir Putin, the Arizona senator says Bashar al-Assad was “emboldened by American inaction” after Trump spoke last week about withdrawing from Syria.

You can read the full statement here:

“President Trump last week signaled to the world that the United States would prematurely withdraw from Syria. Bashar Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers have heard him, and emboldened by American inaction, Assad has reportedly launched another chemical attack against innocent men, women and children, this time in Douma. Initial accounts show dozens of innocent civilians, including children, have been targeted by this vicious bombardment designed to burn and choke the human body and leave victims writhing in unspeakable pain.

“Crimes against humanity have become Assad’s trademarks in his relentless campaign against the people of Syria that has killed more than half a million people and forced 11 million from their homes. President Trump was quick to call out Assad today, along with the Russian and Iranian governments, on Twitter. The question now is whether he will do anything about it. The President responded decisively when Assad used chemical weapons last year. He should do so again, and demonstrate that Assad will pay a price for his war crimes.

“To be sure, President Trump inherited bad options after years of inaction by his predecessor in Syria. History will render a bitter judgment on America for that failure. But no one should believe we are out of options. We can and should change course – starting with a comprehensive strategy that lays out clear objectives for our mission there. It’s not too late to stop Assad’s impunity and begin to rewrite this terrible chapter in our history.”

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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