PHILADELPHIA _ Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's secret trip to Syria this month continues to attract criticism from fellow members of Congress, as well as a washing of the hands from her own caucus leader.
Illinois GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who, like Gabbard, is a veteran of the Iraq War, slammed his Hawaii colleague for meeting with President Bashar Assad and called on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Speaker Paul D. Ryan to condemn the trip.
"In no way should any member of Congress, in no way should any government official ever travel to meet with a guy who has killed 500,000 people and 50,000 children," Kinzinger said in Philadelphia at the GOP issues retreat. "It is sad and a shame and a disgrace."
Kinzinger said Gabbard may have violated some rule but he didn't know much about it. "I'm interested to see where the money came from for the trip," he added.
Earlier this week, Gabbard wrote about her trip on Medium, describing it as something that filled her with resolve to find a way to end the conflict. "Originally, I had no intention of meeting with Assad, but when given the opportunity, I felt it was important to take it. I think we should be ready to meet with anyone if there's a chance it can help bring about an end to this war, which is causing the Syrian people so much suffering," she wrote.
Critics of Gabbard's trip have noted that some of her statements about the visit are in line with that of the Russian government's, which is that rebels aligned against Assad are terrorists and that Assad provides stability and is a buffer against al-Qaida and the Islamic State.
At a media briefing Wednesday morning, Pelosi said she had not spoken to Gabbard about the trip and had no details about it.
"No, I haven't. I haven't even seen her," Pelosi said.
"I haven't seen her. I don't know. I have no knowledge of the trip," Pelosi said.
The California Democrat, who often boasts about her decadeslong experience working with intelligence, said she was unaware of any details of a member of the caucus traveling to a country in which the State Department warns against all travel and strongly urges U.S. citizens inside the war-torn country to "depart immediately."
"I don't know any particulars of it. I don't know the basis of the invitation," Pelosi said when asked if she had an opinion on whether it was appropriate for Gabbard to take the trip without telling leadership.
"I don't know the auspices under which she went. I don't know," Pelosi said "When I know more about it, I'll have something to say about it."
Declining to say whether he would file an ethics complaint or to call Gabbard's actions treasonous, Kinzinger noted, "It is wrong, absolutely wrong, for a member of Congress, a representative of the United States to visit a dictator."
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