Lawmakers have sanctions that can be put in place if the brokered ceasefire in northern Syria does not hold, but they want to give the measure a chance, even if skirmishes did take place within hours after negotiations ended, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Friday.
"Peace can be accomplished in this region," he told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." He added Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were able to stop the bloodshed in northern Syria for five days with the temporary cease-fire, and that should be followed with a permanent end to hostilities.
"The vice president called me last night to give me the details of the negotiation," McCaul said. "We certainly hope this works."
When asked if he thinks Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can be trusted, McCaul pointed out Turkey is a NATO ally and the United States has an airbase there, but Erdogan can be "difficult" at times.
"He has bought Russian S-400 military equipment in defiance of NATO and Russian sanctions," McCaul said. "He is sort of a guy who wants to take Turkey back to the Ottoman Empire days. He's not so easy to deal with."
However, McCaul said he thinks Erdogan and President Donald Trump have mutual respect for each other.
McCaul also noted there is no evidence of a quid pro quo offered in the July 25 telephone call between the president and Ukraine for information on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
"I was a former federal prosecutor, public integrity section," McCaul said.
"My office reviewed that phone call and found there was no criminal violation," he said. "I think it is a bit of a fishing expedition at this point in time."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.