Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham continued to attack President Donald Trump on Wednesday over his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Northern Syria.
As Turkey prepares to move into the vacuum, Graham accused the Trump administration of having “shamelessly abandoned” U.S. Kurdish allies in the region. (RELATED: Lindsey Graham Defends Trump, Calls Ocasio-Cortez And Co. ‘A Bunch Of Communists’)
“Pray for our Kurdish allies who have been shamelessly abandoned by the Trump Administration,” Graham tweeted. “This move ensures the reemergence of ISIS.”
Pray for our Kurdish allies who have been shamelessly abandoned by the Trump Administration. This move ensures the reemergence of ISIS.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 9, 2019
Graham has also promised to push sanctions through Congress against Turkey if Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan uses his newfound position in the region to massacre the Kurds. (RELATED: Lindsey Graham Plans To Introduce Bill Rebuking Trump On Syria)
Normally a staunch ally of the president, Graham and Trump have split on America’s role in Syria. Graham ripped into Trump on “Fox & Friends” over his decision Monday, claiming that a U.S. vacuum in the region could lead to the re-emergence of ISIS.
“If I’m an ISIS fighter I have got a second lease on life,” Graham said at the time. “So to those who think ISIS has been defeated, you will soon see. And to Turkey, you’ve destroyed the relationship, what little you had, with the U.S. Congress, and I will do everything I can to sanction Turkey’s military and their economy if they step one foot into Syria.”
Turkey launched a military offensive against the Kurds on Wednesday. Turkey has long-maintained that the Kurds are terrorists, even though Kurdish fighters helped the U.S. oust ISIS from the region.