WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, made the following comments to reporters at the Democratic Leadership stakeout regarding President Trump’s total national security failure and lack of a plan for Syria:

“The President’s impetuous decision to betray the Kurds and acquiesce to the Turkish invasion has been a catastrophe for the United States.  It’s a disaster strategically.  In making this unforced error, President Trump strengthened the hand of Erdogan, Assad, Putin, and Khamenei.  Since taking that fateful call from Erdogan, the President has flailed around offering various explanations of the call and the strategy and the plan, but as the Leader said, there is no plan.  This is “make it up as you go,” and it’s not going to rebound to the benefit of the United States of America. 

“Now, Erdogan and Putin are meeting.  Erdogan has basically said that if the ceasefire ends, he’ll “start up again where he left off.”  General Mazlum, the leader of these Kurds, has indicated that Turkey is engaged in “the biggest ethnic cleansing operation of the 21st century” as our troops pull out and leave our Kurdish allies behind.

“In ordering this hasty withdrawal, as the Leader said, President Trump has allowed ISIS personnel to escape or evade or be unaccounted for.  We have no real transparency on what is happening with these personnel in Syria, and as a result, we’ve increased the threat to the region and increased the threat to the homeland.  And that is very, very dangerous.  At a minimum I think right now, the President should revoke the invitation to President Erdogan to visit the United States in November.  How can you invite an autocrat who has just invaded a country, who is pursuing your former allies, who is consorting with one of our national/international opponents or adversaries, the Russians, how can you invite him to come here to the United States?”