U.S. Senator Rob Portman of Ohio is one of several Republicans who have questioned President Trump's decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria.
Portman told reporters on a conference call this week the soldiers had brought stability to the region, and removing them was a mistake:
The U.S. and Turkey on Thursday agreed to a five-day cease-fire in Turkey's weeklong offensive against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria, who were once Washington's ally.
Meanwhile, former Ohio Governor John Kasich, who ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican primary, says he supports impeachment. Kasich Friday on CNN said the "final straw" was when acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney acknowledged Thursday Trump's decision to hold up military aid to Ukraine was linked to his demand for an investigation into the Democratic National Committee and the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Mulvaney later claimed his remarks were misconstrued. Kasich, a former Fox News commentator, said Friday: "The last 24 hours has really forced me to review all of this." Congress is conducting an impeachment inquiry sparked by a whistleblower's allegation that Trump pressed the president of Ukraine to dig up dirt on political rival Joe Biden as he delayed military aid to the country.
