Trump blames Putin for backing ‘Animal Assad’

politico.com

President Donald Trump leveled his most direct criticism yet at Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, taking to Twitter to say the Russian leader bears responsibility for a deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria.

“Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria,” Trump wrote on Twitter Sunday morning. “Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price… … ….to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!”

The tweets came after reports that a chemical attack left dozens of Syrians dead in a rebel-held town. Trump in the past has been reluctant to criticize the Russian leader.

Trump also used the occasion to ding former President Barack Obama, writing: “If President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago! Animal Assad would have been history!”

The tweet referred to Obama’s statement that the use of chemical weapons would be a “red line” in Syria, though he later declined to use military force in response to a chemical weapons attack.

Trump took a different tact in the early months of his presidency, launching missile strikes in Syria after a chemical attack on civilians.

Trump has raised questions in the past among allies and critics alike for his reluctance to criticize Putin, especially given his willingness to verbally accost everyone from Republican senators to the mayor of a hurricane-ravaged city. Trump has been especially reticent of blaming Russia for their interference in the 2016 election, which the intelligence community concluded was aimed at helping Trump. Special counsel Robert Mueller is currently leading an investigation into the election meddling and whether the Trump campaign colluded in the effort.

But chemical weapons attacks, particularly those that result in the deaths of children, have proved galvanizing for Trump. After the April 2017 attack which led to the missile strikes, Trump spoke repeatedly about the deaths of “small children” and “beautiful little babies,” and seemed to be deeply affected by media images of the dead.

The recent attack seems to have again shaken the White House, with homeland security adviser Tom Bossert saying on Sunday that all options are on the table.

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American allies also condemned the attack, with British foreign minister Boris Johnson releasing a statement calling it “horrific,” and demanding that Russia not impede any investigation into the attack.

But the latest escalation in rhetoric comes at an awkward time for the White House, as Trump has said he wants to end American military involvement in Syrian. The White House said recently that the military mission there “is coming to a rapid end.”

The United States says that both Russia and Iran are responsible for aiding the Syrian regime in their attacks on civilians.