Administration officials are defending the president’s decisions on the Turkey–Syria crisis, with Defense Secretary Mark Esper saying Turkey was prepared to attack Kurdish forces regardless of any U.S. action, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin explaining why there was a delay in imposing sanctions on Ankara.
Esper, in an interview with Fox News’s Chris Wallace on Oct. 13, responded to questioning from Wallace, who claimed Turkey may not have gone on the offensive if President Donald Trump hadn’t removed a contingent of roughly 50 U.S. troops from Syria last week.
