House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said they have agreed on the need for bipartisan efforts to respond to President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria.
Both top Congress members posted on their respective Twitter accounts about their discussion early on Oct. 14. Speaker Pelosi said that she and Graham had agreed on the need for a bipartisan and bicameral joint resolution to oppose Trump’s move in the middle east.
“Pleased to have a conversation with Senator @LindseyGrahamSC this morning. Our first order of business was to agree that we must have a bipartisan, bicameral joint resolution to overturn the President’s dangerous decision in Syria immediately,” Pelosi wrote.
She added that they also agreed on working together on a Turkey sanctions package that would contain tougher penalties than the one the White House was considering.
Graham, who has been critical of Trump’s Syria decision, also gave his version of the call without mentioning the joint resolution. He said Pelosi supports bipartisan sanctions against Turkey while adding that she “believes we should show support for Kurdish allies and is concerned about the re-emergence of ISIS.”
“I will be working across party lines in a bicameral fashion to draft sanctions and move quickly, appreciating President Trump’s willingness to work with the Congress,” he added. “The Speaker indicated to me that time was of the essence.”
Graham said he will meet with Trump on Monday afternoon to discuss sanctions against Turkey over its invasion of Syria. On Sunday, Trump said he was working with Graham and lawmakers from both sides on the aisle regarding placing sanctions on Turkey.
Syrian Kurdish forces previously aligned with the United States say they’ve reached a deal with Syrian President Bashar Assad to help fend off Turkey’s invasion.
Graham says the alliance between the Kurds and Assad is “not good” for the United States. He said “Assad equals Iran” and that “the last thing you want to do is to let Iran become more powerful in northeastern Syria.”
Trump has defended his decision on Sunday to pull troops from Syria during the Value Voters Summit. “I don’t think our soldiers should be there for the next 50 years guarding a border between Turkey and Syria when we can’t guard our own borders at home,” he said.
“It appears to be,” Esper agreed when host Margaret Brennan asked about whether its conduct against Kurdish forces constitutes a war crime.
“It’s a very terrible situation over there, a situation caused by the Turks. Despite our opposition, they decided to make this incursion,” Esper said.
