Politics

Noted Anti-Interventionist Justin Amash Criticizes Trump On Syria

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Michigan Independent Rep. Justin Amash criticized President Donald Trump for not having a “plan ahead of time,” regarding his order to withdraw troops from Syria.

Amash, a noted anti-interventionist, who recently left the Republican Party over its support of Trump, appeared on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront” on Monday night. When asked about the president’s decision to move troops from northern Syria, the Michigan congressman contended that, while he is “not for having our troops in Syria,” he would have done it long ago without “creating chaos.”

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After Burnett played Trump’s “I’m the one that did the capturing” clip about ISIS, the CNN anchor asked Amash if Trump deserved “the credit for the capturing of ISIS fighters.”

“No,” Amash responded. “I mean, he is always taking credit for what our brave men and women in the armed forces are doing. He has unleashed real problems right now by not planning ahead. You know, I’m not for having our troops in Syria. I would have withdrawn the troops long ago if I were president. But I would have had a plan ahead of time to do it without creating chaos. And he didn’t plan ahead at all.” (RELATED: We Can’t Destroy NATO ‘For The Kurds’: Jim Talent, James Carafano Break Down The Syria Situation)

While many media outlets and political figures have expressed strong disagreement with Trump’s move, others have taken the president’s side, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, Charles Koch Institute vice president, and Afghanistan veteran William Ruger, among others.