U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) today released the following statement on her meeting with President-elect Donald Trump regarding Syria:
“President-elect Trump asked me to meet with him about our current policies regarding Syria, our fight against terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS, as well as other foreign policy challenges we face. I felt it important to take the opportunity to meet with the President-elect now before the drumbeats of war that neocons have been beating drag us into an escalation of the war to overthrow the Syrian government—a war which has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions of refugees to flee their homes in search of safety for themselves and their families.
“While the rules of political expediency would say I should have refused to meet with President-elect Trump, I never have and never will play politics with American and Syrian lives.
“Serving the people of Hawaiʻi and our nation is an honor and responsibility that I do not take lightly. Representing the aloha spirit and diversity of the people of Hawaiʻi, I will continue to seek common ground to deliver results that best serve all Americans, as I have tried to do during my time in Congress.
“Where I disagree with President-elect Trump on issues, I will not hesitate to express that disagreement. However, I believe we can disagree, even strongly, but still come together on issues that matter to the American people and affect their daily lives. We cannot allow continued divisiveness to destroy our country.
“President-elect Trump and I had a frank and positive conversation in which we discussed a variety of foreign policy issues in depth. I shared with him my grave concerns that escalating the war in Syria by implementing a so-called no fly/safe zone would be disastrous for the Syrian people, our country, and the world. It would lead to more death and suffering, exacerbate the refugee crisis, strengthen ISIS and al-Qaeda, and bring us into a direct conflict with Russia which could result in a nuclear war. We discussed my bill to end our country’s illegal war to overthrow the Syrian government, and the need to focus our precious resources on rebuilding our own country, and on defeating al-Qaeda, ISIS, and other terrorist groups who pose a threat to the American people.
“For years, the issue of ending interventionist, regime change warfare has been one of my top priorities. This was the major reason I ran for Congress—I saw firsthand the cost of war, and the lives lost due to the interventionist warmongering policies our country has pursued for far too long.
“Let me be clear, I will never allow partisanship to undermine our national security when the lives of countless people lay in the balance.”
I’m a right wing non internvionist. I applaud Tulsi Gabbard for her public service.
Extraordinary & truly magnificent statement. Rumor has it, arranged by Bannon. Give her a position that will block Pompeo drivel.
Better yet, just fire Pompeo.
Excellent move by Tulsi Gabbard, for both the cause of non-intervention and as a potential way of getting through the wall the Republican establishment is attempting to throw up around Trump. Why do you think he shook up his transition team and brought all of his grown children on board? Most likely, because Trump knows he can’t trust any of the rest of them.
OOOOO…..!!! For SURE…!!!!!
I totally agree with Tulsi with respect to foreign policy and Trump should heed her advice and not the advice from the extremist neocons.
I wonder if this non-briefing choice Trump has made means something good (e.g. anti-neocom)? To me the presidential daily briefing is nothing more than a newspaper written by the bureaucrats. Why should he want to read their news and opinion?
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/307461-trump-turning-away-intelligence-briefings-since-victory-report
Tulsi Gabbard for President 2020!
Coulda-shoulda-woulda-been-a-contender-for-2016.
Gabbard would be an excellent choice for Secretary of State. The CIA chief will need to be someone else for there to be true synergy and actual change in direction. Ray and Phil need to make an appearance here…
I tell my Hillary worshipping friends that I voted for Trump because he was the peace candidate. They don’t get it.
Neither does anyone else.
I guess that’s why Hillary won the election, eh? Oh well, once she puts that no-fly zone in Syria, WWIII will kill us all anyway, so it’s a moot point.
No, I understand that Trump won the election.
In fact, I publicly predicted at least as early as June 1st that he would win the election, carrying every state Mitt Romney carried plus Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida (I didn’t predict he’d also win Iowa and Wisconsin).
He was not “the peace candidate” or anything close to it.
Of the two, he clearly was. You can’t accept that, but the Defcon level ain’t lying.
There were far more than two candidates for president, and almost all of them were less warlike than Trump.
Sure. And their were literally millions of choices for write-in candidates who would have been more peacelike. But there were exactly two candidates who made up the pool we were going to draw our next president from–two candidates for president. Trump was the peace candidate in that pool. Just ask Jill Stein.
Stein admitted that Killary is worse. I agree with her on that. But if she truly believed that Trump was a “peace candidate” she wouldn’t have ran against him.
Of the two, Trump was the peace candidate. And Stein didn’t run against Trump. For all practical purposes, she ran against Hillary, and helped him win.
I suppose if you stand anyone next to a mass murderer they can look like a pacifist. BTW most of the people who voted for Stein would have voted for Johnson if she didn’t run and wouldn’t have voted at all without a third option. I include myself in this group.
That strikes me a almost unfathomably spiteful and irrational. Hillary’s promise to install a no-fly zone in Syria–among other things–made a vote for Trump absolutely essential.
I’m a pacifist. A vote for any man or woman who promises war is unfathomably spiteful and irrational to me. Just because Trump promised LESS war doesn’t make voting for him any more morally exceptable. I’d rather abstain from voting in protest than put my thumbprint on a mandate for a lesser killer. My vote isn’t for sale.
I’d rather live, and see the species continue.
Tulsi is a Democrat from a solidly blue state. Sure, she should cooperate with Trump when appropriate (just as Bernie plans to do), but she’s crazy if she goes into a Trump administration. She’ll burn all her bridges to the Democratic Party and find herself in a party where the religious right will have no patience with a practicing Hindu.
She should stick with the Democrats and be patient. Mazie Hirono is in her late sixties and Tulsi’s just turned 35, so there’s a Senate seat that could open in the next decade when she’ll still be in her forties. And she could spend time in the next couple years campaigning nationally for Democratic congressional and even state candidates, build up some name recognition, and possibly get the vice-presidential nomination in 2020.
Working with Trump when he’s right, fine. But joining his administration will be a career-ender for her.
Tulsi already burned bridges when she rejected Killary. The Democrats are in decline. Tulsi will be fine with Trump.
The religious right is a declining force in the GOP, the alt right doesn’t mind Hinduism in the same way they would Islam, and normie conservatives would get on board were she given the Trump seal of approval due to her veteran status. I doubt her religion is going to be made an issue, especially if she does a good job in a Trump admin.
Finally a voice of reason on U.S. intervention in Syria comes from inside Washington.
It is heartening to see a Washington political figure come out strongly against the “regime change” policies that our Government — both Republican and Democratic — has been disastrously pursuing for the past many years. Whether Rep. Gabbard is offered or accepts a position in the Trump Administration is less important than her courageous stand against stupid, harmful and counterproductive “regime change” activities by the US. As a Korean War veteran who has seen all too many ill-advised US military interventions in other nations’ internal affairs over the past half-century, I applaud Rep. Gabbard for making this stand for peace in our time.
Great to see Hawaii is represented by someone with a spine!!!
Imagine that. A congress critter that knows what the words “non-interventionism” mean. A Democrat, to boot, talking about working with Trump in that regard. Color me impressed.
Just wait till some aged party hack whispers in her ear how things really work in DC, “to get the welfare, you gotta go along with the warfare.”
Becareful of this Siren’s Song. As I recall there was a vet from another war who throw away his military medals in protest. Where is this vet today? He is the current SoS.
Just as other Presidents have been led astray by their pro war appointees Trump needs to listen to other people about foreign policy. If Rep Gabbard can get both D’s and R’s in Congress to push a non interventionist agenda great. A first step would be cut off all weapon sales to any ME country.
Great news !
Not everyone meeting with Trump right now wants a job in his Administration. Some want a policy from his Administration.
It is an old rule of lawyering to get in there first. Be the first to make a plea deal. Be the one to form the judge’s first impression, so the other guy must move him.
She is timing it right, while doing as Bernie has suggested. Good on her. Wise.
One difference between Trump and Bush/Obama is that it doesn’t look like the former wants to leave office in disgrace and disrepute, while the latter couldn’t care less what the world thinks of them.
I love this woman .Tulsi Gabbard for Nobel peace prize and president of the world !
Wow…. What a great patriot she is.. If the two of them can at least get along and strengthen the “STOP SUPPORTING THE JAHADDI TERRORISTS” (AKA as HILLARIES FOREIGN LEGION). I hope the Trump Gifford vibes were good and not like people walking on the new ice of of Trump administration policy….. as in.. “Don’t step to heavily or try any sharp high speed turns… We here should give/ express our happiness that Trump gave her any face time whatsoever. Our new president is beginning to look to be a far broader man than the media.would ever admit could be…..