Former UN Ambassador and National Security Council member Samantha Power has been silent on Twitter since President Donald Trump’s decision to attack a Syrian air base Thursday in response to Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapons attack against civilians last Tuesday.
Power wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on genocide, in which she criticized past U.S. presidents for inaction — then did nothing as the carnage unfolded in Syria on President Barack Obama’s watch.
Power’s inaction was legendary — first as chair of President Obama’s so-called “Atrocities Prevention Board,” then as UN Ambassador. Breitbart News was among the first to call for her resignation from the administration, in 2013; the Wall Street Journal followed in 2016, with a scathing editorial blasting her for being a bystander to genocide in Syria.
Since leaving office in January, Power has been a frequent critic of President Trump, his staff, and his foreign policy. On Wednesday, she called the story about former Obama administration official Susan Rice “unmasking” members of the opposition a “scam.” Last month, she gave credence to conspiracy theories about Russian efforts to help Trump win the 2016 election.
On Tuesday, Power specifically criticized President Trump on Syria, implying that he was indirectly responsible for the chemical weapons attack:
Backed by Russia&Iran, declared permanent by Trump, Assad regime in #Syria feels safe to do what it wants. Gassing people is what it wants.
— Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) April 5, 2017
She did later retweet an article about Trump condemning the attack.
However, she has not reacted to Trump’s military move.
Other Obama administration staffers have been vocal in their opposition to Trump’s decision — perhaps, as HotAir.com’s John Sexton observes, because it exposes the lie that Syria’s chemical weapons had been dealt with, and presents a sharp contrast to the former president’s passivity.
At least one former Obama administration official praised President Trump: Anne-Marie Slaughter praised the move against Assad, telling Politico: “The years of hypocrisy just hurt us all.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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