White House aide: 'I wouldn't take anything off the table' for Syria attack response

White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert said Sunday on ABC nothing has been ruled out as a possible U.S. response to this weekend's suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria. "I wouldn't take anything off the table," Bossert told host Martha Raddatz. "These are horrible photos."

"The pendulum has swung in the wrong direction for too long, and the United States of America has been taken advantage of in their responsibility to provide security for the entire world," Bossert continued. "It is time to move that pendulum back in a way that brings regional partners and others with equities in these matters all around the globe into putting their resources and their treasure and their boys and girls on the line, and not just American troops."

President Trump has vocally opposed regime change efforts, including in Syria, but in his response to this attack, he blamed former President Obama for failing to oust the Bashar al-Assad regime. When Assad was accused of a chemical weapons attack last year, Trump reversed his position on Syria, deciding to respond with a missile strike on regime targets after he was shown photos from the attack.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Watch an excerpt of Bossert's comments below. Bonnie Kristian