It will be interesting to see how White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki will spin a tweet she sent in 2017 when she was outraged when the Trump administration ordered military strikes in Syria in the aftermath of the Biden administration doing the same on Thursday.
The airstrikes were targeting an Iranian-backed militia stronghold in Syria, according to Fox News.
"Also what is the legal authority for strikes? Assad is a brutal dictator. But Syria is a sovereign country," Psaki tweeted on April 7, 2017.
Also what is the legal authority for strikes? Assad is a brutal dictator. But Syria is a sovereign country.
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) April 7, 2017
While the White House did not respond to a reporter's inquiry about their legal grounds for the new strikes, the National Security Council said the airstrikes were pursuant to the president’s Article II authority to defend U.S. personnel.
Got a response from the White House on legal grounds re: airstrikes in Syria. An NSC spokesperson told me the airstrikes were pursuant to the president’s Article II authority to defend US personnel. pic.twitter.com/1Gyo7hr9UH
— John Haltiwanger (@jchaltiwanger) February 26, 2021
As Matt previously wrote, President Biden himself was heavily critical of Trump's approach to the Middle East, by withdrawing U.S. troops from the region, during the 2020 campiagn.
Hey @realDonaldTrump, do you think the American people want another war in the Middle East? Des Moines certainly doesn’t. pic.twitter.com/uFgQuqg1oL
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 5, 2020
As President, I will use military power responsibly and as a last resort. We will not go back to forever wars in the Middle East. #DemDebate
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 8, 2020