Ben Cardin: Donald Trump Admin Shouldn’t Legitimize Bashar Al Assad | For The Record

DISGRACEFUL CHAPTER IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
>> WITH ME SENATOR BEN CARD EN, DEMOCRAT OF MARYLAND RANKING
MEMBER ON THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATION IZ COMMITTEE.
GOOD EVENING, SIR. AND TONIGHT MANY PEOPLE ARE
TRYING TO REWRITE THEIR VIEWS OF WHAT THEY THOUGHT SHOULD BE DONE
BACK IN 2012 AND 2013. WE'RE IN THE 6th YEAR OF THIS
CRISIS IN SYRIA. I SHOULD NOTE THAT BACK IN 2013
YOU, SIR, AND THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE, YOU WERE
ONE OF THE ONES WHO VOTED WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING.
>> ABSOLUTELY, WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN MORE DEFINITIVE ACTION.
BUT THE QUESTION IS WHAT DO WE DO NOW.
IN THE WORLD, THE CIVILIZED WORLD CANNOT BE SILENT WHEN THE
USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST A CIVILIAN POPULATION THROUGH A
BOMB IN THE AIR, ONLY PRESIDENT ASSAD COULD HAVE DONE THIS WITH
THE HELP OF MR. PUTIN AND RUSSIA.
WE MUST SPEAK OUT ABOUT THIS. MR. ASSAD HAS NO LEGITIMACY TO
LEAD SYRIA. HE SHOULD BE AT THE HAIG HELD
ACCOUNTABLE FOR WAR CRIMES. THAT'S WHAT THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY NEEDS TO INSIST UPON. >> BACK IN 2013 AS EVERYONE DOES
ATTEMPT TO REWRITE HISTORY, IT'S WORTH NOTING THERE IS A LOT OF
CRITICISM OF PRESIDENT OBAMA NOT TAKING ACTION AFTER HIS FAMOUS
RED LINE COMMENT. BUT I THINK WE SHOULD ALSO
FACTOR INTO IT AS WE LOOK BACK IN 2020 HINDSIGHT, AT THE TIME
CONGRESS WASN'T BEHIND HIM. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IN MULTIPLE
POLLS WERE NOT BEHIND HIM. WE WERE WAR WEARY, NO ONE WANTED
TO PUT BOOTS ON THE GROUND, NO ONE WANTED TO USE FORCE.
EVEN THE BRITS VOTED DOWN A RESOLUTION TO JOIN US IN TAKING
FORCE AGAINST SYRIA. IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT TIME THEN
AND NOW OF COURSE EVERYONE IS JUMPING ON PRESIDENT OBAMA.
>> WELL, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ABOUT THAT.
HE DID NOT HAVE THE SUPPORT FROM CONGRESS.
HE HAD SOME SUPPORT.
I SUPPORTED HIS ACTIONS TO USE MILITARY TO STOP THE USE OF
CHEMICAL WEAPONS. THAT'S SOMETHING WHICH IS -- THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NEEDS TO RESPOND.
BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, IT WAS NOT THE SUPPORT IN
CONGRESS, THERE CERTAINLY WASN'T THE SUPPORT IN EUROPE.
AND REMEMBER, WE THOUGHT WITH RUSSIA'S HELP WE WERE ABLE TO
GET ALL THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS OUT OF SYRIA.
WE THOUGHT THAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED.
OBVIOUSLY IT WAS NOT. WE WERE MISLED BY RUSSIA AND THE
CONSEQUENCE IS THAT THE SYRIAN CIVILIAN POPULATION TODAY IS AT
RISK ON THE USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS.
THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE. >> ALL RIGHT.
IT'S NOT JUST NOW -- WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CHEMICAL WEAPONS
TODAY AS WE LOOK AT THESE HORRIFYING VIDEO AND THE VIDEO
IS HORRIBLE. I MEAN I'VE SEEN A NUMBER OF
VIDEOS AND WHAT WE SEE IT'S JUST TERRIBLE.
PEOPLE SUFFERING, STRUGGLING TO GET AIR AS THE GAS GETS THEM.
THE FACT IS ASSAD HAS BEEN USING CHEMICALS, OR AT LEAST THERE
HAVE BEEN CHEMICAL ATTACKS SUSPECTED MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE
2013. IT'S NOT JUST IN THE LAST FEW
DAYS. AND, IN FACT, THE U.N. JUST LAST
MONTH AN ATTEMPT TO PASS A RESOLUTION TO THE SECURITY
COUNCIL AGAINST SYRIA, BUT CHINA AND RUSSIA VETOED IT.
SO, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? IS THE WORLD GOING TO LOOK THE
OTHER WAY ON THIS ONE? >> I CERTAINLY HOPE NOT.
I WOULD HOPE WHAT HAS BEEN DONE HERE WILL CAUSE THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO SAY THAT THIS CANNOT CONTINUE AND
THOSE RESPONSIBLE MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
AND THAT THIS IS WAR CRIMES. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST
HOLD MR. ASSAD RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE ACTIONS.
YES, WE KNOW THAT THEY'VE BEEN USING SOME CHEMICAL AGENTS, BUT
WHAT WE SAW TODAY LOOKS MORE LIKE SERAN, A MORE INTENSE
CHEMICAL WEAPON THAT WE WERE TOLD WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED
WITHIN SYRIA. THE SECURITY COUNCIL NEEDS TO
TAKE ACTION. >> ALL RIGHT.
HE'S A WAR CRIMINAL, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT THE ICC IS
COMPLETELY TOOTHLESS, HAS DONE NOTHING.
LOOK AT PRESIDENT BASH IRIN SUDAN.
HE HAS AN INDICTMENT FOR GENOCIDE GOING BACK A NUMBER OF
YEARS FOR KILLING LOTS OF PEOPLE IN THE DARFUR REGION.
NOBODY DOES ANYTHING. EVEN SOUTH AFRICA WOULDN'T
ARREST HIM WHEN HE WAS THERE. SO, COMPLETELY FECKLESS THERE,
HE'S A WAR CRIMINAL. ARE YOU SAYING WE SHOULD DO
SOMETHING ALONE IN SYRIA, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET HELP OUT OF THE U.N.
>> I WOULD START WITH THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL.
THEY DID PASS RESOLUTIONS CONDEMNING SYRIA'S USE OF
CHEMICAL WEAPONS.
NOW THEY HAVE USED A VERY STRONG AGENT AGAIN.
IT'S TIME FOR THE SECURITY COUNCIL TO PUT SOMETHING BEHIND
THAT. I AM ALSO SAYING YOU DON'T
LEGITIMATE MR. ASSAD. SO, I WOULD HOPE THAT THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION WOULD NOT GIVE ANY CREDIBILITY THAT
MR. ASSAD -- PRESIDENT ASSAD HAS ANY LEGITIMACY TO REMAIN AS THE
LEADER OF SYRIA. >> ALL RIGHT.
LET ME ASK YOU ONE QUICK QUESTION ON A RANDOM TOPIC, ONE
I'M PROFOUNDLY INTERESTED IN, THE NATION OF SOUTH SUDAN WHICH
IS IN THE MIDST OF A CIVIL WAR. PEOPLE ARE STARVING THERE.
IT'S INCREDIBLE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE STARVING.
AND DO YOU HAVE -- SHOULD THE U.S. GET INVOLVED IN SOUTH
SUDAN? >> I THINK WE HAVE TO.
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NEEDS TO BE ENGAGED THERE.
WE HAVE A FAMILIAR INCAUSED BY CONFLICT.
THIS IS NOT JUST A WEATHER RELATED FAMILIAR IN.
THIS IS A CONFLICT FAMINE WHERE LITERALLY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE
IN JEOPARDY OF STARVING TO DEATH AND IT'S BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT
HAS LITTLE CONCERN OF THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH
SUDAN. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
NEEDS TO PROVIDE A SAFE HAVEN FOR HUMANITARIAN RELIEF AND GET
RELIEF FROM THE CONFLICT SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GET HELP.
>> IT'S A TERRIBLE WHAT'S GOING ON THERE.
I DIGRESS FROM SYRIA. HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONVERSATION
WITH THE WHITE HOUSE OVER WHAT'S GOING ON IN SYRIA OR IS IT JUST
TOO SOON? >> WE'VE HAD VERY LITTLE
CONVERSATION. WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE
WHITE HOUSE POLICY IS IN REGARDS TO SYRIA.
THEY CERTAINLY HAVE NOT ANNOUNCED THAT.
THEY SAID THERE'S GOING TO BE LESS TRANSPARENCY IN THE NUMBER
OF U.S. PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN SYRIA, BUT WE DO NEED TO HAVE A
CONCRETE POLICY. YES, WE WANT THE PARTIES TO
NEGOTIATE A PEACE AGREEMENT. NO, MR. ASSAD CANNOT BE PART OF
THE FUTURE OF SYRIA. THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE
ATROCITIES MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
WE'VE SAID NEVER AGAIN. THE ONLY WAY IT WILL BE NEVER
AGAIN IS

Ben Cardin: Donald Trump Admin Shouldn’t Legitimize Bashar Al Assad | For The Record | MSNBC

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