According to US news site Foreign Policy’s John Hudson, a Republican staffer in the US Congress asked about the possibility of assassinating Syrian president Bashar al-Assad Thursday. Foreign Policy did not obtain the name of the staffer, but noted they work for Republican congressman Doug Lamborn of the western state of Colorado. “What about assassinating Assad?” the aide said, several sources in the room told Foreign Policy. They made the comments at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations.
As Foreign Policy points out, such a move would be illegal under US law. They also spoke to another aide for Lamborn who said the discussions at the meeting do not reflect the congressman’s views.
Lamborn’s official website does not appear to include an explanation on the incident.
The calls generated little buzz on social media. Pro-regime news site Al-Masdar News did pick up the story, though.
Lamborn is currently running for his 6th term in the US House of Represenatives. He endorses party nominee Donald Trump for president, sticking with him after remarks he made widely described as sexist in 2005 surfaced this month. Not overly involved on Syria issues, he voted to sanction Syria before the war, and has supported sanctions against Assad’s ally Iran.
The original Foreign Policy article can be read here.
