President Trump signed an executive order on Monday authorizing the imposition of sanctions on current and former Turkish officials, senior administration officials told reporters Monday.
Why it matters: Trump’s removal of nearly all U.S. troops from Syria created bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill, prompting members of Congress to immediately prepare sanctions bills of their own in retaliation. As Axios’ Dave Lawler notes, Trump is now preempting those looming sanctions with steps of his own.
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- However, some Democratic lawmakers have already said that sanctions on Turkey alone are not enough.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said as much in a Monday statement, arguing that Trump must “correct course” and reverse the troop withdrawal.
View the complete October 14 article by Alayna Treene on the Axios website here.
The top U.S. general in charge of military operations in the Middle East on Tuesday said he was not consulted prior to