Democrats & Republicans Blast Trump's Move To Abandon Allies In Syria; Trump Says His "Unmatched Wisdom" Will Determine Whether To Retaliate If Turkey Launches An Operation
BALDWIN: President Trump now stands accused of abandoning a U.S. ally two American troops have fought side by side within the battle against ISIS. I'll show video taken this morning showing U.S. forces in northern Syria moving out of the way so that Turkey can launch a military offensive against the Kurds, whose fighters it considers a terror group. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces say they're blindsided by this. And the U.S. pullout will have a negative impact in the war against ISIS and destroy the stability that's been accomplished through the past years. Key members of Congress also are afraid this will give ISIS new life and threaten civilians in a fragile part of Syria. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell now saying the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria will only benefit Russian, Iran and the Assad regime.. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once again says, President Trump is deserting an ally in a foolish attempt to appease a foreign strongman. And Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said this.</s>SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): This impulsive decision by the president has undone all the gains we've made, thrown the region into further chaos. Iran is licking their chops. And I'm an ISIS fighter, I have a second lease on life. I think a lot of military people are sad today that we've given back the battlefield to the enemy.</s>BALDWIN: My next guest is also worried. Hagar Chemali is an expert on the Middle East. She was at the White House as director for Syria and Lebanon for the first two years of the Syrian crisis. She's with me now. And so we're looking at one of your tweets from today. Let's step back for a second and remind us, why U.S. troops were in Syria, and what Turkey's interests are.</s>HAGAR CHEMALI, FORMER SPOKESWOMAN, U.S. MISSION TO THE U.N.: The U.S. troops went into Syria in 2014 as part of the effort to defeat ISIS. The area they went into, in particular, was an area that had cleaned ISIS out, and they were there to help with reconstruction efforts, development. The idea was to get refugees to come back to Syria, which helps a global migrant issue. There's a pattern for all of this, and a cycle for all of it. And certainly to counter Iranian influence and counterterrorism in the region.</s>BALDWIN: We'll come back to Iran in a second. First, with this move, what are the short-term and long-term implications, in terms of the Kurds, the refugees.</s>CHEMALI: The United States backed the Kurds that live in that part of Syria. They funded them, they equipped them, in order to be able to defeat ISIS. They were a large part of why we succeeded in that goal. So that's where we are with them. If the Turks are allowed to go in -- the Turks have made it clear they are going to invade that part of Syria and pursue a military assault. They've wanted to do this for a while. They've said so repeatedly. The last time we faced this was last year, last December, when the Turks told President Trump they thought he should leave. And the role -- this role is reverse due to pressure from Senate Republicans. What happens in a military assault, they're going to go target who they deem, the Turks deem to be Kurdish terrorists. This is a dangerous zone. There's one organization that the United States has recognized as a terrorist organization called the PKK. That's doesn't mean all Kurds affiliate with the PKK or they all side with them, just as no ethnic group or religious group sides with one extreme or violent faction.</s>BALDWIN: So many Kurds could end up being killed?</s>CHEMALI: So many Kurds could end up being killed. The Turks have made the claim they want this area to be made stable so that millions of refugees from Turkey could return to the area. The very fact they view the Kurds that live in Turkey as refugees is already a problem. It sets things up for mass migration and ethnic cleansing. It's extremely dangerous.</s>BALDWIN: So you mentioned Senate Republicans. This tweet from Senator Mitt Romney just a bit ago: "Barring a reversal of this decision, the administration must come before Congress and explain how betraying an ally and ceding influence to terrorists and adversaries is not disastrous for our national security interests." Is this a gift to Iran and Russia?</s>CHEMALI: Yes. It's a gift to Iran and Russia with seemingly nothing in return. Certainly, a gift to the Turks. And the part that's even worse is, it's not just a gift to them, it directly has an impact on our national security.</s>BALDWIN: How do you mean?</s>CHEMALI: This matters. Syria matters. I know I sound emotional about it. It's definitely a point --</s>BALDWIN: You were there from the beginning.</s>CHEMALI: It matters because it is surrounded by U.S. partners and allies, Jordan, Israel, Iraq. What happens in Syria matters. It's why -- even at the beginning of the Trump administration, our goals in Syria were very clear. We wanted to support reconstruction and development so refugees could go back. We wanted to support counterterrorism efforts and we wanted to counter Iranian influence. If you let these countries make a muck of Syria, and make it worse than it is, which they could, it directly undermines the stability of our neighbors, and Israel in particular, where we're going to be asked to go in and help them. It's just -- it doesn't make sense any which way.</s>BALDWIN: Hagar Chemali, thank you so much.</s>CHEMALI: Thanks for having me.</s>BALDWIN: Thank you. Democrats say the president's actions are impeachable. But are they illegal? One former ambassador says yes. He joins me, live. Plus, some Democrats now facing heat back home during the congressional recess for supporting an impeachment inquiry. How they're defending their decisions.