GOP lawmaker after Syria decision: ‘Pull my name off the “I support Donald Trump” list’

Rep. John Shimkus (Ill.) became the latest Republican in Congress to blast President Trump’s decision to turn operations in northern Syria over to Turkey, calling it “terrible and despicable” in an interview with KMOX’s Mark Reardon.

“I’m heartbroken,” said Shimkus, who is retiring in 2020. “In fact I called my chief of staff in D.C., I said ‘pull my name off the “I support Donald Trump” list.’ We have just stabbed our allies in the back. The Kurds go back all the way to the first Gulf War.”

{mosads}Shimkus went on to say the White House decision “shocked, embarrassed and angered me.”

Turkey this week mounted an attack against Kurdish forces in northern Syria previously backed by the U.S., prompting bipartisan accusations that Trump betrayed an ally with the pullout.

Numerous congressional Republicans, including some of Trump’s most vocal allies, have pushed back against the move, including Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), who said it could be the “biggest mistake” of Trump’s presidency, and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who said Congress “must and will” act after Turkey launched an offensive on Kurdish forces.

Trump defended the decision yesterday, saying the Kurds “didn’t help us in the second world war, they didn’t help us with Normandy as an example.” He has threatened sanctions against Turkey for crossing certain lines but has not specified what actions he would take.

Shimkus later clarified his remarks in a statement, saying that “While my votes will continue to support the president’s domestic policy agenda, because of this terrible foreign policy decision I asked that my name be removed from his campaign’s official list of supporters.”

JUST IN –> Statement from GOP @RepShimkus:

“While my votes will continue to support the president’s domestic policy agenda, because of this terrible foreign policy decision I asked that my name be removed from his campaign’s official list of supporters.”

— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) October 10, 2019