South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, after having lunch with President Donald Trump, appeared to have toned down his criticism of Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria.
Graham began by tweeting that he had been reassured during the meeting.
I learned a lot from President @realDonaldTrump about our efforts in Syria that was reassuring. (1/3)
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 30, 2018
He went on to name the three objectives, outlined by the president, that had left him feeling more confident that the administration’s course of action might not be as ill-conceived as he had initially believed. (RELATED: Trump Explains His Decision To Withdraw Troops From Syria)
Those three objectives were: the permanent destruction of ISIS, the prevention of an Iranian power-grab and the protection of America’s Kurdish allies.
The President will make sure any withdrawal from Syria will be done in a fashion to ensure:
1) ISIS is permanently destroyed.
2) Iran doesn’t fill in the back end, and
3) our Kurdish allies are protected.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 30, 2018
Graham concluded by saying that Trump would be working closely, both with American military leadership and allies, to make sure that all three of those objectives are met. (RELATED: Sen. Lindsey Graham Chides CNN Reporter Over Iraq Withdrawal: ‘That’s A Bunch Of Bulls**t’)
President @realDonaldTrump is talking with our commanders and working with our allies to make sure these three objectives are met as we implement the withdrawal. (3/3)
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 30, 2018
Since Trump announced his plan to withdraw American troops from Syria, Graham has been among the most outspoken of his critics — and it was reported that Graham intended to use their lunch meeting to convince the president to change his mind on the subject.