Spicer: ‘I Can’t Imagine a Stable and Peaceful Syria Where Bashar al-Assad Is in Power’

Monday at the White House press briefing, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said he could not “imagine a stable and peaceful Syria” where President Bashar al-Assad remained in power.

Partial transcript as follows:

REPORTER: President Trump has spoken out extensively about the crimes of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Does the President consider Assad a war criminal and does he believe eventually Assad should eventually appear before the ICC?

SPICER: I think right now the focus is twofold. One is defeating ISIS and the second is creating the political environment necessary for the Syrian people to have new leadership there. I don’t think there is — I can’t imagine a stable and peaceful Syria where Bashar al-Assad is in power. I think we all recognize that happens and there can be a multipronged approach. We are ensuring that ISIS is contained and there is a de-escalation of the proliferation of chemical weapons and at the same time creating the environment for a change in leadership.

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