Senator Chris Murphy: US Strike In Syria Is Illegal

TO PAY. >> NO MINCING WORDS ON THAT ONE.
JOINING ME NOW, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY OF
CONNECTICUT. A MEMBER OF THE SENATE FOREIGN
RELATIONS COMMITTEE. SENATOR, THANK YOU FOR BEING
WITH ME. I'M TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF WHAT
YOU SAID EARLIER. I BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT AN ILL
THOUGHT OUT MILITARY ACTION WITH ABSOLUTELY NO OVERALL STRATEGY
FOR SYRIA RISKS DRAGGING US FURTHER INTO A CIVIL WAR.
IS THAT MEANT TO BE A CRITICISM OF LAST NIGHT'S ATTACK, OR A
CRITICISM OF NOT HAVING A SYRIA STRATEGY?
>> WE'RE GOING TO GET A BRIEFING AT 1:00 FROM THE ADMINISTRATION
ON THESE ATTACKS. BUT IT IS CERTAINLY A CRITICISM
OF WHAT SEEMS TO BE A TOTALLY IMPROVISATIONAL STRATEGY WITH
REGARD TO THE CIVIL WAR INSIDE SYRIA.
IT IS, FRANKLY, NOT HELPFUL TO LAUNCH A SMALL-SCALE ATTACK
AGAINST AN AIRFIELD THAT MAY ULTIMATELY RESULT IN THE
ESCALATION OF MILITARY ACTIVITY INSIDE SYRIA, AND THEN CONTINUE
A POLICY OF DENYING EXIT FROM SYRIA TO THE MILLIONS OF
CHILDREN AND PARENTS WHO WANT TO BECOME REFUGEES IN EUROPE OR THE
UNITED STATES. SO I DO THINK THAT THIS HAS TO
BE VIEWED IN THE LARGER CONTEXT OF A TOTALLY INCOHERENT SYRIA
POLICY. WE'LL GET MORE DETAILS AT 1:00
ON THE EXACT NATURE OF THIS PARTICULAR STRIKE.
>> RIGHT. AND I AM GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP THE
REFUGEES AND THE CIVILIANS WHO ARE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS.
WE'LL BE SPENDING A GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME IN THE SHOW DISCUSSING
THAT. I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT WHAT
NANCY PELOSI CALLED FOR. A RETURN OF CONGRESS TO DISCUSS
THE AUTHORIZATION OF THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE.
SOMETHING CONGRESS WOULDN'T EVEN TOUCH THE LAST TIME AROUND.
SO THERE IS A LOT OF TALK THAT GOES AROUND ABOUT HOW PRESIDENT
OBAMA DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. BUT CONGRESS DID NOT ALLOW ANY
DISCUSS OF MILITARY FORCE IN SYRIA IN 2013.
SHOULD CONGRESS HAVE THAT DISCUSSION NOW?
>> WELL, THAT'S NOT EXACTLY TRUE.
I'M A MEMBER OF THE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE AND WE VOTED
AN AUTHORIZATION OF MILITARY FORCE OUT, AS REQUESTED BY
PRESIDENT OBAMA. I DIDN'T SUPPORT IT, BUT WE HAD
A VOTE ON IT. IT WAS PENDING BEFORE THE SENATE
WHEN THE DEAL WAS CUT WITH THE RUSSIANS TO TRY TO MOVE CHEMICAL
WEAPONS OUTSIDE OF SYRIA. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS IT IS
HARD TO PASS AN AUTHORIZATION OF MILITARY FORCE IN THE MIDDLE
EAST THROUGH CONGRESS. THE CONSTITUTION DOESN'T ALLOW
THE PRESIDENT TO MOVE FORWARD UNILATERALLY BECAUSE IT IS
DIFFICULT TO GET AUTHORIZATION. THERE IS GOOD REASON IT IS HARD
TO PASS THE AUTHORIZATIONS TO USE THE MILITARY IN THE MIDDLE
EAST BECAUSE IT NORMALLY GOES WRONG FOR THE UNITED STATES AND
OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE RELUCTANT
TO GRANT THE EXECUTIVE THE POWER.
I THINK THE STRIKE WAS ILLEGAL. WE SHOULD BE HERE THIS WEEKEND
DEBATING AN AUTHORIZATION FOR THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE
BECAUSE THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE END OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION'S MILITARY POLICY IN THE REGION.
IN FACT, WE KNOW IT ISN'T. HE'S PUT 500 ADDITIONAL TROOPS
INSIDE SYRIA SINCE HE WAS INAUGURATED.
>> JUST TO UNDERSCORE YOUR POINT, AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, LIBYA.
IT NEVER WORKS OUT CORRECTLY FOR THE UNITED STATES WHEN WE HEAD
DOWN A ROAD OF REGIME CHANGE WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT STEPS TWO,
THREE, FOUR THROUGH TWELVE ARE GOING TO BE.
THAT CAN'T BE A REASON NOT TO DO ANYTHING.
>> WELL, IT SHOULD CERTAINLY BE A REASON TO STEP BACK AND
CONSIDER THE IMPACT OF A STRIKE ON DAYS TWO, THREE, FOUR AND
FIVE. RIGHT?
I KNOW SOMETIMES IT MAKES US FEEL GOOD TO USE OUR ENORMOUS
MILITARY POWER IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND SOMETIMES WE GET
SHORT-TERM VICTORIES, RIGHT? WE MAY HAVE TAKEN OUT SOME
AIRCRAFT. WE TOPPLED THE SADDAM HUSSEIN
REGIME IN IRAQ. IN THE END, BECAUSE WE HAD NO
POLITICAL PLAN, IT WAS MUCH WORSE FOR US AND MUCH WORSE FOR
THE PEOPLE IN THE REGION. >> WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
WE'RE SIX YEARS INTO THIS. WE'RE SIX YEARS INTO A CIVIL WAR
WHICH HAS CREATED THE LARGEST HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN RECENT
MEMORY. PEOPLE CONTINUE TO FLOOD OUT OF
THERE. IT IS NOT CLEAR, WE CAN PUT UP
THE MAP ON THE SCREEN BUT YOU'RE FAMILIAR WIT.
THE SYRIAN REGIME CONTROLS A SMALL PORTION OF SYRIA.
THE KURDS CONTROL A SMALL PORTION.
PEOPLE SUPPORTED BY US HAVE A SMALL PORTION OF IT.
WE HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING FOR YEARS.
>> IT TAKES A LOT TO BELIEVE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CAN
ULTIMATELY BRING A SETTLEMENT TO A CIVIL WAR INSIDE SYRIA.
OUR FOCUS SHOULD BE ON TAKING RAQQAH BACK FROM ISIS, ON MAKING
SURE THAT IT IS NOT A TERRORIST HAVEN FROM WHICH ATTACKS CAN BE
LAUNCHED AGAINST THE UNITED STATES.
AND HAVING A REAL POLITICAL AND HUMANITARIAN APPROACH TO THE
CRISIS. REMEMBER, MBER, THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION HAS LAUNCHED THE AIR STRIKES BUT IT EFFECTIVELY
HAS SEEDED THE REST TO THE RUSSIANS.
WE HAVE WITHDRAWN FROM MAJOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE
PEOPLE OF SYRIA. WE CAN'T MILITARILY SETTLE THE
CIVIL WAR. OUR FOCUS SHOULD BE POLITICAL,
HUMANITARIAN AND

Senator Chris Murphy: US Strike In Syria Is Illegal | MSNBC

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