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McConnell Backs Syria Strike; Says Russians "Not Our Friends"

Gage Skidmore, Flickr Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Trump’s decision to conduct air strikes in Syria sends a clear message to the Asssad regime that the use of chemical weapons on his own people won’t be tolerated.

During a press conference Wednesday in Louisville, McConnell said the strike also sends a strong message to the Russians, who claimed that they had removed all chemical weapons from Syria.

 

“The one thing you can be sure about with the Russians is that they’re never up to any good and they’re not our friends. And I think the new administration is figuring that out. They may have been somewhat confused about it during the campaign but I think they’re in the process of figuring that out,” McConnell said.

 

On domestic matters, McConnell said he and other Republican leaders on Capitol Hill haven’t given up on taking a new approach toward repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.     

A plan supported by President Trump was shelved last month by Speaker Paul Ryan when it became clear there was not enough support for it in the House. After a partisan battle over the president’s Supreme Court nominee, McConnell said he hopes to get down to work with Democrats on issues like tax reform and infrastructure legislation when the session resumes.

 

“We had a very partisan beginning to this administration but I predict it’s going to settle down a couple of weeks from now,” McConnell said.

McConnell said  he fully supports President Trump’s decision to conduct airstrikes in Syria in response to the regime’s chemical weapons attack that killed scores of civilians. He said the president’s action did not require congressional approval.

Rick has been a member of the WFPL News team since 2001 and has covered numerous beats and events over the years. Most recently he’s been tracking the Indiana General Assembly and the region’s passion for sports, especially college basketball.
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