A key Republican ally of Donald Trump was to introduce tough sanctions against Turkey in the U.S. Senate Thursday, joining Democratic lawmakers in a sign of the bipartisan fury sparked by the president's abrupt decision to pull American troops out of Syria.
The Turkey Sanctions Bill is being presented in the Republican-majority Senate a day after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly condemned the withdrawal, rebuking the White House in a rare show of cross-party unity.
A total of 129 members of Trump's Republican Party joined Democrats as the House voted 354-60 to denounce the pullout of U.S. troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish offensive against Kurdish militants.
While the House resolution just expressed disapproval, the bill being introduced in the Senate by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen has actual teeth, imposing wide-ranging mandatory sanctions on Turkey.
Graham has been one of the staunchest defenders of Trump in his fight against impeachment but he has been extremely critical of his withdrawal of support for the Kurds, who have been U.S. allies in the fight against Daesh (ISIS).
Trump lashed out at Graham on Wednesday, saying the senator from South Carolina would "like to stay in the Middle East for the next thousand years with thousands of soldiers fighting other people's wars."
"I want to get out of the Middle East," Trump said. "Let them fight their own wars."
Graham shot back, tweeting that "When it comes to America's national security I will NEVER be quiet."
"Listen to your own national security team who are telling you the consequences of your decision and the impact it will have on our nation," Graham added.
He voiced hope that Trump was correct in his belief "that Turkey's invasion of Syria is of no concern to us, abandoning the Kurds won't come back to haunt us, ISIS won't reemerge, and Iran will not fill the vacuum created by this decision."
SOMETHING EVEN STRONGER
Faced with criticism from Republicans and Democrats, Trump this week slapped sanctions on top Turkish officials and imposed punitive tariffs on Turkish imports, vowing to "destroy" the Turkish economy unless Ankara relents.
The Graham-Van Hollen bill goes further, imposing sanctions on the U.S. assets of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and several members of his cabinet including the ministers of defense, foreign affairs and treasury.
It bans sales of American equipment to the Turkish military and threatens sanctions against any foreign company or individual selling weaponry to the Turkish armed forces.
Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell expressed support for the Senate sanctions bill, which could be vetoed by Trump if it reaches his desk, but has not set a date for a vote.
"I was encouraged to see yesterday's display of bipartisan concern in the House of Representatives for sustaining America's global leadership and specifically over the damaging impact of hastily withdrawing that leadership from Syria," McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor.
"As the Senate debates our Middle East policy and contemplates what action to take I believe it's important that we make a strong forward-looking strategic statement," the Senate majority leader said.
"For that reason my preference would be for something even stronger than the resolution which the House passed yesterday."
Vice President Mike Pence met Erdogan in Ankara Thursday but Turkey has so far rebuffed international pressure to hold its fire against Kurdish forces in Syria.
AFP
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