Sen. Menendez Issues Statement on Chemical Attack in Syria

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in reaction to the alleged chemical attack on civilians by Bashar al-Assad in Syria:

"I am horrified that once again, Bashar Assad has allegedly used chemical weapons on his own people. Completely reliant on lifelines from Russia and Iran, Assad is a ruthless dictator and a war criminal who has repeatedly violated UN Security Council Resolutions.

"This latest catastrophe is proof that a limited use of military force in Syria without a broad and fully-resourced diplomatic strategy, as President Trump chose to do in April of 2017, was ineffective. To make matters worse, the President's recent plans to freeze U.S. assistance to the Syrian people, and the administration's failure to put forth a comprehensive plan, other than calling for an 'immediate response', are the latest missteps in their calamitous retreat from American leadership around the world.

"The United States must not waiver in our utter rejection of the use of chemical weapons anywhere in the world, by anyone, for any reason. During his upcoming hearing, I expect Secretary of State-nominee Pompeo to articulate an actual policy for Syria."