Hillary Clinton said Friday that President Trump is putting the country at “grave risk” for his decision to withdraw troops from Syria.

“Actions have consequences, and whether we’re in Syria or not, the people who want to harm us are there & at war,” the former secretary of state tweeted Friday morning.

“Isolationism is weakness. Empowering ISIS is dangerous. Playing into Russia & Iran’s hands is foolish. This President is putting our national security at grave risk,” she wrote.

The criticism comes one day after Mr. Trump declared that ISIS, or the Islamic State terror group, had been defeated in Syria and that he would begin to scale down military involvement in the country — a move that has been criticized by Democrats and some Republicans, including the president’s close ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, who called it “a stain on the honor of the United States.”

“So hard to believe that Lindsey Graham would be against saving soldier lives & billions of $$,” the president tweeted in response. “Why are we fighting for our enemy, Syria, by staying & killing ISIS for them, Russia, Iran & other locals? Time to focus on our Country & bring our youth back home where they belong!”

Less than an hour after Mrs. Clinton’s tweet, Mr. Trump declared that he’s “done more damage to ISIS than all recent presidents.”

I’ve done more damage to ISIS than all recent presidents….not even close! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2018



The White House said Wednesday that the administration had started “returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign.”

“The United States and our allies stand ready to re-engage at all levels to defend American interests whenever necessary, and we will continue to work together to deny radical Islamist terrorists territory, funding, support, and any means of infiltrating our borders,” the White House statement said.

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