CNN’s Chris Cuomo scolded Republican New York Congressman Tom Reed on his show Wednesday, accusing him of doing a “double wrong.”
Cuomo was referencing Reed’s vote against the resolution condemning President Donald Trump for withdrawing American troops from Syria, calling the action a betrayal of the Kurds. (RELATED: ‘There’s No Need For A Crime’: Chris Cuomo And Matt Schlapp Square Off On Impeachment)
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“My criticism is you let this president and presidents before him take your authority,” Cuomo began. “Congress is supposed to declare war and you guys won’t even negotiate and by the way, Republicans stop it. You should go after your own colleagues. But that’s not what today was.”
“That was the vote today was —” Reed protested.
“No, it was — you abandoned the Kurds,” Cuomo pushed back.
“No, I went to my colleagues and said, ‘you have not done your jobs.’ There’s no authority to have these men and women on the ground. I reaffirmed that position today,” Reed continued. “If we’re going to do this, give me a clear mission, authority in Congress and Congress do its job and we send the message to all our allies Congress is backing up our Commander in Chief.”
Cuomo pressed again, arguing that Reed should have taken his concern directly to the president. “Have you said this to the Commander in Chief? … ‘I don’t believe we should be in Syria but what you did with the Kurds was cowardly and wrong and un-American and now we look terrible and we don’t have any guarantee of allies to fight against ISIS, who you just enhanced.'”
“Chris, I guess you approve of men and women being in Syria under our military banner and doing that without congressional authority. That’s my fundamental objection,” Reed shot back..
Cuomo went on to attack Reed, arguing that he wasn’t consistent because he hadn’t spoken out when the president bombed Syria without getting congressional authority. “You did a double wrong here,” he said.
“I appreciate that judgment but what I will say, when you’re bombing, seeking intelligence, that that’s different than putting men and women and boots on the ground,” Reed responded.