Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) opposed an amendment to a short-term government funding bill that would provide arms and training to “moderate” Syrian rebel forces known as the Free Syrian Army on Wednesday.
He said that there may have been a time when arming Syrian moderates would have been possible with a reasonable chance for success, but that time has likely passed.
“Too many questions remain today that cannot be answered to my satisfaction,” Dent said. “How will we effectively vet the opposition forces? How will we ensure that arms delivered will not be sold to ISIS forces or used against already persecuted people in the region, such as the Syrian Christians?”
Dent agreed that ISIS, which he called “antithetical to American and civilized ideas of justice, equality and decency,” needs to be destroyed, but that Wednesday’s proposal was not a comprehensive plan to do so.
“Everyone is familiar with the saying ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t.’ It certainly fits the notion of our being able to reliably identify and arm Syrian ‘moderates,’” Dent said. “With that in mind, I believe that if we err – it should be on the side of caution.”