US Senate(WASHINGTON) — Republican Sen. Marco Rubio on Wednesday criticized the Trump administration for what he called its conciliatory position on Syria, saying it’s not “coincidental” that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched chemical weapons on civilians just days after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States will no longer insist that Assad step down.
“It’s my belief that if you’re Bashar al-Assad and you read that it is no longer a priority of the United States to have you removed from power, I believe that that is an incentive to act with impunity,” the Florida senator said during a news conference Wednesday.
He added: “I personally do not believe that it’s coincidental.”
Tillerson had said last week during a press availability in Turkey that, “The longer-term status of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people.”
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said on ABC News’ This Week Sunday that Assad “is not going away,” although adding, “we’re not going to stop beating up on him.”
Rubio did note that he doesn’t believe Tillerson thought Assad would take advantage of his remarks by carrying out a chemical weapons attack, as he did this week, reportedly leaving at least 72 civilians dead.
The senator also said he thought Assad would have likely carried out the attack regardless of what, if anything, the Trump administration said.
The White House did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Rubio and Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, organized the news conference Wednesday to announce legislation that they said would seek to hold Assad accountable in international criminal court as a war criminal.
“We need to get him indicted,” Cardin said.
Rubio was also asked during the news conference Wednesday about Trump’s original statement in reaction to Syria, in which he said, in part, “President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a ‘red line’ against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing.”
Rubio said, “That presidency’s over. We have a new presidency.”
He added that any efforts to remove blame from Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is an Assad ally, does not advance the cause that Rubio and Sen. Ben Cardin are seeking to make.
“Any effort to take any iota of blame away from the people truly responsible does not further the cause that we seek to make and bring light to today,” Rubio said.
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