"History will render a bitter judgment on America for that failure," Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said of President Barack Obama's lack of action in Syria. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images McCain on chemical attack: Syria 'emboldened' by Trump talk of withdrawing

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) blasted President Donald Trump on Sunday over an apparent chemical weapons attack in Syria, saying the regime was "emboldened" after the U.S. president suggested that it was time to reduce U.S. involvement in the country.

"President Trump last week signaled to the world that the United States would prematurely withdraw from Syria," McCain said in a statement. "Bashar Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers have heard him, and emboldened by American inaction, Assad has reportedly launched another chemical attack against innocent men, women and children, this time in Douma."


The Arizona Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee urged Trump to take action, as he did a year earlier, when the president ordered a missile strike on a government airbase after Syrian President Assad was accused of a chemical weapons attack.

"The President responded decisively when Assad used chemical weapons last year," McCain said. "He should do so again, and demonstrate that Assad will pay a price for his war crimes."

Morning Defense newsletter Sign up for Morning Defense, a daily briefing on Washington's national security apparatus. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

McCain has long advocated for a more robust response to Syria, dating back to the Obama administration. He said a year ago that the Trump administration was "partially to blame" for the earlier attack, though he has placed more blame on Barack Obama.

"History will render a bitter judgment on America for that failure," the senator said. "But no one should believe we are out of options."

Trump on Sunday slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran for their support of Assad.

"President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price .... to pay," Trump wrote on Twitter. "Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!"

