Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio weren't convinced by reports of a pullback in Syria. The reports are based off a White House statement.

An official White House statement apparently isn't enough proof for some people in this day and age.

Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are clearly not thrilled with the White House's decision to pull troops from northern Syria and subsequently allow Turkey to launch an invasion in the region. The move potentially gives Ankara an opening to battle with Kurdish-led forces there, who were long the U.S.'s strongest ally in the battle against the Islamic State. Rubio called the announcement a "grave mistake" and Graham said it was a "disaster in the making."

Except both senators were still speaking in hypotheticals when criticizing the decision Monday morning. They both wanted to know if reporting on the situation is accurate, with Graham adding that he was going to talk to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, before officially pushing back against the White House. That generally seems fair, but in this instance the reports on the decision came directly from a White House press release, so it's tough to figure out how the reporting might have missed the mark. Graham, for his part, did continue to criticize the move as the morning went on. Tim O'Donnell

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