On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “All In,” Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) said that he wonders if the strike on Syria was “choreographed kabuki” and if the White House coordinated with either Russia or Assad prior to the strikes.
Menendez stated, “I don’t know if this was carefully choreographed. Because you have a strike against three facilities, the Russians don’t activate their defense missiles against us, the Syrians shoot their missiles after our missiles land. And you wonder, wait a minute, was this a choreographed kabuki show?”
Anchor Chris Hayes then asked, “Are you suggesting that the White House used some backchannel to actually actively coordinate with either Russia or the Assad regime, ahead of time, before the strikes?”
Menendez answered, “Well, I certainly have to wonder. The Russians have a very sophisticated defense system, that they did not activate. The Syrians shot missiles after our missiles landed. And the Russians were not hit at all in any of those chemical weapons sites. It’s just too many questions that raise the concerns as [to], did we act and show our indignation, but was it choreographed? At least were the Russians told, ‘Stay out of these sections, and by the way, don’t challenge us. And if you don’t challenge us, then everything will go as planned’?”
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