US Democratic leaders walk out of WH meeting on Syria 17/10/2019 L WASHINGTON-- US Democratic Congressional leaders abruptly left a White House meeting on Syria (last night) Wednesday after a clash with President Donald Trump during which he called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a "third rate politician." In remarks to reporters after leaving the meeting, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that Trump "was insulting, particularly to the Speaker. She kept her cool completely, but he called her a third rate politician." For her part, Pelosi said, "what we witnessed on the part of the president was a meltdown, sad to say." She added, "I think the president was very shaken up" by the fact that a big majority of the Republicans approved a resolution opposing Trump's decision to withdraw US forces from Syria. "I think that both the size of the vote, more than two to one of the Republicans voted to oppose what the president did, probably got to the president because he was shaken up by it. And that's why we couldn't continue in the meeting, because he was just not relating to the reality of it," she remarked. Schumer said that he asked Trump "what his plan was to contain (IS)," in which he noted, "he didn't really have one. He said the Turks and the Syrians will guard the (IS) prisoners." "This is appalling. The president had no plan, no real plan for containing (IS) other than relying on the Syrians and the Turks," he stressed. Meanwhile, Pelosi tweeted "I am deeply concerned that the White House has canceled an all-Member classified briefing on the dangerous situation the President has caused in Syria, denying the Congress its right to be informed as it makes decisions about our national security." For his part, Trump tweeted on the meeting saying "the Do Nothing Democrats, Pelosi and Schumer stormed out of the Cabinet Room!" Nancy Pelosi needs help fast! There is either something wrong with her "upstairs," or she just plain does not like our great Country. She had a total meltdown in the White House today." For her part, White House Spokesperson Stephanie Grisham tweeted that Trump was "measured and decisive today. Speaker Pelosi walking out was baffling but not surprising with NO intention of participating in a meeting on national security. Democratic "leadership" chose to storm out and whine to cameras, everyone else stayed to work on behalf of our country." The US House of Representatives adopted a resolution earlier Wednesday with a 354 to 60 vote to rebuke Trump's move to pull US troops out of northern Syria. |