Senator Lankford Statement on Coalition Airstrikes in Syria

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) tonight released the following statement on coalition airstrikes in Syria from Great Britain, France, and America:

“For several years, the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has attacked his own citizens – multiple times with chemical weapons. Sadly, Assad has again released poison gas on his people. This action cannot stand. I appreciate that the President has responded in conjunction with our allies, France and the United Kingdom. Russia certified two years ago that they had removed all chemical weapons from Syria; clearly that was false. It is also clear that Russia was aware of Syria’s repetitive use of chemical weapons.

“Moving forward, it is vitally important that the Trump administration honors the Constitution by working with Congress on further military action. The United States is not at war with the people of Syria and I anticipate that the Administration will quickly present their long-term intentions to the American people.

“Assad is a ruthless tyrant who kills his own people, breeds terrorism, destabilizes the Middle East, and contributes to the global expansion of ISIS.” 

Lankford serves on the Senate Intelligence and Homeland Security Committees. In 2017, Lankford visited the Middle East (Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Israel) on two congressional delegation trips to evaluate regional security infrastructure and assets. 

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