Frequent Trump critic Ted Lieu applauds troop pullout from Syria

Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.), a frequent critic of President Trump, applauded the president’s decision on Wednesday to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria.

“I applaud the decision by @realDonaldTrump to withdraw US troops from Syria,” Lieu tweeted several hours after the official White House announcement emerged.

{mosads}”Neither the Obama Administration nor the Trump Administration had a strategy,” Lieu added. “Neither Administration could articulate why we were in Syria, what the end state would be, and how we would achieve it.”

Lieu’s tweet came in response to a CNN report that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) had called the decision a “great disservice” to the U.S.

I applaud the decision by @realDonaldTrump to withdraw US troops from Syria.

Neither the Obama Administration nor the Trump Administration had a strategy. Neither Administration could articulate why we were in Syria, what the end state would be, and how we would achieve it. https://t.co/v68aRaiHcJ

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) December 19, 2018

Multiple top Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), met the U.S. withdrawal from Syria with criticism, with Graham calling it an “Obama-like mistake.” 

The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post reported earlier in the day that Trump is planning to remove 2,000 troops from northern Syria immediately.