Rep. McCaul: Trump Right to Attack Syria, Now We Need a Strategy

The Republican chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security on Thursday morning advocated for the White House to put together an action plan on what to do in Syria.

Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas told a panel on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that President Donald Trump was right to attack a Syrian air base last week. Now, he said, it's time for Congress to get involved.

"Well, it was a violation of international law," McCaul said of the deadly chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians that was believed to have been launched by the Syrian government. The missile strike ordered by Trump was in response to that.

[Syrian President Bashar al-] "Assad's been getting away with this for the last eight years, red lines have been crossed, nothing, no consequences to that action," McCaul said. "I think the president showed decisive action here.

"I think the broader question, to your point, is what is our strategy in Syria? I've advocated that we cannot resolve this conflict, this civil war, as long as Assad remains in power. … I think you have to come up with a strategy to plan for Syria, and Congress has a role to play in that."

McCaul added that Trump's "unpredictable nature" is actually good for U.S. foreign policy because it keeps countries such as Russia, North Korea and China guessing as to what he might do if they violate international laws.

"We have a commander-in-chief that's not leading from behind but now leading," McCaul said. "I think this doctrine of strategic patience is now over. Overall, it projects strength against our foreign adversaries."

• Sen. Chris Murphy: Trump's Syria Policy 'Dizzying,' Missile Strike Broke the Law
• CNN: US Intercepted Communications on Syrian Chemical Attack