Sen. Bob Menendez Robert (Bob) MenendezWatchdog confirms State Dept. canceled award for journalist who criticized Trump Kasie Hunt to host lead-in show for MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' Senators ask for removal of tariffs on EU food, wine, spirits: report MORE (D-N.J.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Michael (Mike) Richard PompeoWatchdog confirms State Dept. canceled award for journalist who criticized Trump Trump's push for win with Sudan amps up pressure on Congress Putin nominated for Nobel Peace Prize MORE Wednesday demanding details of a phone call between President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that precipitated Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from northeastern Syria.

Menendez said the conversation and Trump’s decision to pull out the troops “set off a cascade of destabilizing events with great significance for the region” and accused the administration of giving Turkey a “green light” to invade Syria.

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“It is imperative that Congress and the American people understand what President Trump said on his call with President Erdoğan,” Menendez wrote in the letter.

“We need to understand if another betrayal took place on October 6, and how Turkey came to possess the belief that it now has free rein in the region,” he added, referencing Trump’s July conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which he pressured Kiev to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenFormer Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick Bloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida MORE, a chief political rival.

Menendez also asked Pompeo for answers to a series of questions, including whether the State Department agreed with Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northeastern Syria, if Pompeo had advance knowledge of his decision and whether Pompeo or anyone from the State Department listened in on the call with Erdoğan.

Trump has been the focus of bipartisan ire since his decision earlier this month, with critics on Capitol Hill saying the withdrawal lifted the chief deterrent to a Turkish offensive against U.S.-allied Kurdish groups in northeastern Syria.

Fears mounted this week after reports emerged that Kurdish groups, which had fought against ISIS with the U.S. and were detaining supporters of the terrorist group, were stretched thin in the fight against Ankara’s invasion, leading to the release of hundreds of ISIS prisoners.

“He will have American blood on his hands if he abandons Kurds because ISIS will come back. And if any American is killed anywhere because of a resurgent ISIS, it will fall on [the] Trump administration,” Sen. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamLincoln Project mocks Lindsey Graham's fundraising lag with Sarah McLachlan-themed video The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Republicans lawmakers rebuke Trump on election Trump dumbfounds GOP with latest unforced error MORE (R-S.C.) said Wednesday.

Trump has said he condemns the offensive and announced this week he was slapping sanctions on government officials in Ankara and “any persons contributing to Turkey’s destabilizing actions in northeast Syria.” He’s also sending Vice President Pence to Turkey this week to meet with Erdoğan to try to hammer out a cease-fire.

The administration has defended its military pullout so far, saying the president campaigned on withdrawing U.S. forces from Middle East conflicts and that leaving troops in the area would have put them at risk.

“Due to Turkey's irresponsible actions, the risk to U.S. forces in northeast Syria has reached an unacceptable level. We are also at risk of being engulfed in a broader conflict,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper Mark EsperOvernight Defense: Stopgap spending measure awaits Senate vote | Trump nominates former Nunes aide for intelligence community watchdog | Trump extends ban on racial discrimination training to contractors, military Overnight Defense: Pentagon redirects pandemic funding to defense contractors | US planning for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May | Anti-Trump GOP group puts ads in military papers Official: Pentagon has started 'prudent planning' for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May MORE said in a statement, adding that "a small footprint" of U.S. forces will remain at the al-Tanf garrison in southern Syria "to continue to disrupt remnants of ISIS."