GOP Strategist Blasts Trump Over Withdrawal of US Forces from Northern Syria: ‘Toddler-Level Geopolitical Mistake’

Republican strategist Mike Murphy slammed as a “toddler-level geopolitical mistake” President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to withdraw US military forces from northern Syria, potentially exposing Kurdish allies to an invasion from neighboring Turkey.

Speaking with Steve Kornacki on MSNBC’s Hardball, Murphy, a longtime Trump critic, echoed many of the criticisms made by fellow Republicans, who railed against the president’s move, which reportedly caught even Pentagon officials by surprise. Murphy condemned the move as part of a larger discussion about Senate Republicans and their willingness to defend Trump in a possible upcoming impeachment trial.

“It’s all about the primary politics. You know, the new logo of the RNC isn’t just an elephant, it’s an elephant running for the tall grass to hide,” Murphy said. “A lot of these politicians, in their heart, they know that Trump is unfit and privately they’ll talk about it, but they’re very afraid of their primary voters.”

“A ‘defend Trump’ vote by the time [impeachment] hits the Senate, if it does, which I think is more likely than not, could be real political poison,” Murphy added. “I think the one new factor, today, is the case that Trump should not be there. Not the impeachment case, but the private opinion of Republican Senators’ case, exploded today, because of what Trump did abandoning the Kurds and making a toddler-level geopolitical mistake in northern Syria, which is why you’re seeing even Mitch McConnell out criticizing the move. So the energy to do something about Trump because of the damage he’s doing to the country, I think, is higher in the Senate caucus.”

Watch the video above, via MSNBC.

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