PRESS RELEASE
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Introduces Bipartisan Bill To Prohibit U.S. Government Support for Mideast Terrorists
Dec. 9, 2016 (EIRNS)—Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) yesterday introduced a bipartisan bill to stop the Obama administration’s arming of Syrian and other terrorists dubbed "moderate rebels." This "Stop Arming Terrorists Act" (SATA), is modeled on the Boland Amendment which finally shut down George Bush’s CIA program of arming of the Contras in Nicaragua in the 1980’s. In this case, the bill would both
"prohibit any Federal agency from using taxpayer dollars to provide weapons, cash, intelligence, or any support to al-Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups," and also "prohibit the government from funneling money and weapons through other countries who are directly or indirectly supporting terrorists,"
Gabbard specified.
Gabbard announced the bill yesterday—even as President Obama issued his desperate "more lethal weapons for the terrorists" directive—with a hard-hitting press release and one minute speech during the "General Speeches" period in Congress:
"Under U.S. law it is illegal for any American to provide money or assistance to al-Qaeda, ISIS or other terrorist groups. If you or I gave money, weapons or support to al-Qaeda or ISIS, we would be thrown in jail. Yet the U.S. government has been violating this law for years, quietly supporting allies and partners of al-Qaeda, ISIL, Jabhat Fateh al Sham and other terrorist groups with money, weapons, and intelligence support, in their fight to overthrow the Syrian government,"
she charged.
"The CIA has also been funneling weapons and money through Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and others who provide direct and indirect support to groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda. This support has allowed al-Qaeda and their fellow terrorist organizations to establish strongholds throughout Syria, including in Aleppo....
"This madness must end. We must stop arming terrorists. The Government must end this hypocrisy and abide by the same laws that apply to its citizens. That is why I’ve introduced the Stop Arming Terrorists bill—legislation based on congressional action during the Iran-Contra affair to stop the CIA’s illegal arming of rebels in Nicaragua."
SATA is co-sponsored by Democrats Peter Welch (Vt.) and Barbara Lee (Calif.), and Republicans Dana Rohrabacher (Calif.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.); has been endorsed by the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), the U.S. Peace Council and Stephen Kinzer, a journalist and fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies; and quickly got the attention of Antiwar.com and RT.
