'Message of weakness': Republicans call out Trump for enabling 'Russian aggression'

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Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) on July 7, 2015 (Image: OSCE Parliamentary Assembly / Flickr / Creative Commons)

Two powerful Republicans in Congress are now openly criticizing President Donald Trump's latest move to pull back troops on NATO's eastern flank, and accusing him of putting allies at risk.

Newsweek reported Wednesday that Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who chair the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, respectively, told the Trump administration that they "strongly oppose" the decision to pull a rotating U.S. Army brigade out of Romania. The lawmakers said the move "sends the wrong signal" to Russian President Vladimir Putin about U.S. support of NATO's mission.

"Pulling back U.S. forces from NATO’s Eastern flank prematurely, and just weeks after Russian drones violated Romanian airspace, undermines deterrence and risks inviting further Russian aggression," their statement read.

"The President is right that U.S. force posture in Europe needs to be updated as NATO shoulders additional burdens and the character of warfare changes," Rogers and Wicker stated. "But that update must be coordinated widely both within the U.S. government and with NATO."

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who led the Senate Republican Conference for nearly two decades, agreed with Rogers and Wicker's assessment of the administration's move. He also doubted the administration's explanation that pulling back from Romania to assist with efforts in the Indo-Pacific.

"If you have to say it’s not ‘a signal of lessened commitment,’ then it probably is," McConnell told Politico. "Retreating from Europe doesn’t advance deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, because Russia and China are working together to undermine us."

"If we’re serious about deterring them, we should be working more closely, not less, with allies and partners," he added.

Both Rogers and Wicker are insisting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provide updates on how the U.S. plans to support NATO in other ways, following the Army's withdrawal from Romania. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a retired Air Force brigadier general, said the move sends "a terrible message to NATO and Ukraine."

"It emboldens Putin," Bacon said. "It is a message of weakness in the face of Russian aggression."

Click here to read Newsweek's report, and click here to read Politico's full article.

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