Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney faults Democrats' impeachment inquiry for Turkey's invasion of Syria
WASHINGTON – Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the third-ranking House Republican, said Monday on Fox & Friends that Turkey's invasion of Syria is a "part of" the result of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump by Democrats.
“I’m very concerned about it, Brian,” Cheney said to host Brian Kilmeade, who has openly criticized the decision. “I think that what we’re seeing happen is going to have ramifications – not just in the Middle East but around the world. If our adversaries begin to seek weakness, if our adversaries begin to think we won’t defend our allies, that we won’t defend our interests, that’s provocative.”
She continued, “But I also want to say that the impeachment proceedings that are going on and what the Democrats are doing themselves to try to weaken this president is part of this.”
Her comments come as Trump faces widespread and bipartisan backlash for withdrawing U.S. troops from the region.
What we know: Turkey's offensive in Syria
Critics of the decision have come from both sides of the aisle, and they argue the action has betrayed a close U.S. allyship with the Kurds and risks creating a chaotic and dangerous situation as Turkey views a Kurdish militia that dominates the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces as a terrorist group.
.@RepLizCheney says that Turkey decided to attack the Kurds base on the Democrats starting impeachment proceedings. The Democrats don't have control over Trump's decision to withdraw military from the region. pic.twitter.com/1ANgViU1T8
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) October 14, 2019
Cheney, a hawkish Republican, added that it wasn’t an “accident that the Turks chose this moment to roll across the border.”
“And I think the Democrats have got to pay very careful attention to the damage that they’re doing with the impeachment proceedings,” she said.
Trump demanded last week that troops start withdrawing. Over the weekend, reports emerged that hundreds of ISIS supporters escaped Kurdish-established detention camp, Ain Issa, after Turkish airstrikes hit the area, and that the Kurds announced a deal with Syria’s Russian backed government.
A few weeks ago, Cheney suggested that the phone call between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart was “starting to seem like a political set up."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Liz Cheney: Democrats' impeachment inquiry 'part of' Turkey's invasion
