Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said it’s high time for America to get involved in Syria.
“This is the time to act,” Mr. Rogers, Michigan Republican, said Wednesday on “CBS This Morning.” “Don’t wait until we have 5,000 dead.”
Mr. Rogers made the remarks on the heels of Syrian regime claims that rebel fighters used chemical weapons in Aleppo, The Associated Press reports. The White House — which has called the use of chemical warfare a last straw that would rally the United States to stronger action in Syria — disputed that claim, however. Mr. Rogers’ statements came a day after the White House denial, AP says.
There is a “high probability” that chemical weapons were deployed on Tuesday, Mr. Rogers said in the AP report. And the U.S. administration knows this, he said. The White House is aware “there has been some forensic evidence that at least small quantities” of chemical weaponry has been used, he said, as AP reports.
To refrain from acting would be a “stain on our national credibility,” he said, AP reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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