VIDEO - Moulton: "Nothing—nothing—is worse, nothing is more evil, than betrayal"
Moulton Demands Congress Hold Erdogan, Trump Accountable Ahead of Syria Vote
WASHINGTON — Today, from the floor of the House of Representatives, Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) demanded a strategy to protect America’s Kurdish allies and prevent the resurgence of ISIS that the president’s decision is expected to create.
The full speech is below. A broadcast quality clip of the speech is available here.
Moulton spoke ahead of a vote in the House on H.J. Res 77, a resolution that condemns the president’s decision to abandon America’s Kurdish allies. The bill passed with the support of both parties.
Moulton has called for action to protect the Kurds since the news broke that President Trump spoke with Turkish President Recep Erdogan and acquiesced to Turkey’s request to abandon the Syrian Kurds, a key ally in the fight against ISIS. Moulton wrote an op-ed last week outlining why the decision is so dangerous and pointed out the hypocrisy of the Administration’s decision to send additional troops to Saudi Arabia. Yesterday, before heading to Washington, he called for powerful sanctions and additional action in his office in Salem, Mass. during a conversation with a founder of the New England Kurdish Association.
Remarks of Congressman Seth Moulton to the House of Representatives
October 16, 2019
Colleagues, right now, with President Trump’s permission, Turkey is slaughtering our Kurdish allies--the only people who stand between us and ISIS.
Men and women who have died by the thousands to protect Americans from terrorism, the families of my constituents like Seyhmus Yuksekkaya.
Russian and Syrian forces are taking our positions next to them.
ISIS prisoners are escaping, and Chairman, the crisis has only just begun.
We must act today because the president has taken the side of dictators and butchers.
The President has never put his life on the line for our country like our special forces soldiers who have been fighting terrorists in Syria whom he mocked earlier today by saying that they’re shooting each other.
But perhaps if he had not dodged the draft by lying about his feet, and sending another American in his place to Vietnam, he would know something that all veterans know well: That there are a lot of ways to fail in battle: You can fail physically, you can fail to summon the mental courage, you can have bad strategy or bad tactics--you can make terrible mistakes that cost lives. But nothing--nothing--is worse, nothing is more evil, than betrayal.
But betrayal is exactly what this president has done, and it sends the exactly wrong message to our allies, to our troops, and to our enemies.
Our commander in chief should lead with American values. He should lead by the idea that there’s no better friend, and no worse enemy than the United States.
But, today’s vote is necessary because there has been no worse enemy to the Kurds, and no better friend to our enemies than this president.
Vote yes.
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