Amodei statement on authorization to train and equip Syrian rebels

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Brian Baluta, 202-225-6155

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mark Amodei (NV-2) today voted against an amendment to authorize training and equipping “appropriately vetted elements of the Syrian opposition.” He released the following statement:

“Earlier in the conflict, before the influx of foreign fighters to Syria and the rise of ISIS, it may have been possible to identify reliable, non-Islamist elements of the Syrian rebels who could be counted on to hasten the downfall of the Iranian-backed, Russian-backed Assad regime. That opportunity appears to have been missed and we do not know who the people are that we would train and provide equipment. Or, more importantly, at whom that equipment would be pointed.

“There is an old saying of, ‘do something, even if it’s wrong.’ Well this represents nothing and it is wrong.

“We need real leadership to undo the damage of the administration’s failure to secure a status of forces agreement in Iraq and its misapplication of ‘red lines’ in Syria, both of which created a predictable vacuum filled by ISIS. Sadly, the same administration that previously characterized this legitimate national security threat as the ‘jayvee team’ now wants us to trust its hasty strategy to address the growing problem. Because of the administration’s inability to articulate a coherent vision or even to describe what victory would look like, I cannot support this authorization.”

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