Justin Amash: ‘Gov’t Is Breaking Law’ By Sending ‘Weapons to Opposition Forces in Syria’

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Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that “the CIA has begun delivering weapons to rebels in Syria, ending months of delay in lethal aid that had been promised by the Obama administration, according to U.S. officials and Syrian figures.”

“The shipments,” the article continued, “began streaming into the country over the past two weeks, along with separate deliveries by the State Department of vehicles and other gear — a flow of material that marks a major escalation of the U.S. role in Syria’s civil war.”

Today, Republican Representative Justin Amash, who opposes U.S. intervention in Syria, tweeted the following:

I take it Amash is referring to the clause of the USA PATRIOT Act which prohibits giving material support to groups designated by the United States as terrorists. In Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, the court found that “training,” “expert advice or assistance,” “service,” and “personnel,” all qualified as material assistance.

Last year, the U.S. State Department officially designated the Syrian rebels’ foremost fighting group, Jabhat al-Nusra, a terrorist organization. The U.S. has maintained all along that they are employing a “vetting process” to make sure all the material support they send to Syria’s rebels doesn’t go to the bad guys. But U.S. officials told the Washington Post last year that the CIA knew very little about who was receiving U.S. support, nor could they control exactly where it ended up. The New York Times also reported that the Obama administration has been “increasing aid to the rebels” even though “we don’t really know” who is receiving it.

More troubling, the Times published an article confirming that, “Most of the arms shipped at the behest of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to supply Syrian rebel groups fighting the government of Bashar al-Assad are going to hard-line Islamic jihadists.” Incidentally, those weapons were being sent with U.S. approval and coordination.

More than sending material to officially designated terrorist groups, the U.S. is aiding Syria’s rebels despite the fact that the United Nations has repeatedly condemned them for committing war crimes. Further still, the Wall Street Journal reported two months ago that legal advisers to President Obama warned that the U.S. “risked violating international law” by arming the rebels.

So is the U.S. government breaking the law by aiding and abetting terrorists? I would think so. American citizens have been convicted for much less under these material support laws.

66 thoughts on “Justin Amash: ‘Gov’t Is Breaking Law’ By Sending ‘Weapons to Opposition Forces in Syria’”

  1. Every day new revelations come to light of just how subverted the US government is, and how immoral and criminal its actions are. A reckoning is sure to come.

    1. It's just nasty – this is NOT the same America I grew up in. I remember when the sheriffs, police, and other services rigorously followed the constitution.

  2. Pingback: Government ‘Major Escalation of the U.S. Role in Syria’s Civil War’ as CIA … – TheBlaze.com | MilitaryNewsAndResources.org

  3. Hmmm…. yeah. One would expect a clear and unmistakable statement by Congress about arming foreign forces (I can't remember what Congress or Poindexter said back in the Iran-Contra days about such activities). I do remember the US getting an earful from Den Haag but basically shrugging it off along with Israel and El Slavador.

    I hear these weapons are "traceable" (probably by serial number). Which is nice. Fast and Furious, indeed.

    1. Hopefully it won't come to that – we do have SOME time left to act to restore our liberties! :(
      I did not want to have to see my kids live through a war zone, ugh.

  6. Pingback: Justin Amash: ‘Gov’t is breaking law’ by sending ‘weapons to opposition forces in Syria’ | Liberty in Media

  7. It's a shame that some people have chosen to completely disregard a message simply because its messenger is not the preferred source. #Putin's op ed in the Times should be read and considered – he is correct with regards to a call for a bit of peace on the #Syria conflict. Yes, #russia has its own human rights issues, but so does #Obama. Tit for tat.

    Oh, and? Michael #Hastings did die an untimely death in an "odd accident." So, the USA also is suspected of bumping off reporters that do not follow the agenda. Need moar rights violations? #Snowden and #Manning are important whistleblowers who were oppressed by Obama. So quit acting like the Chief Tick is holier than certain other leaders.

  8. I think I know why #Putin addressed America's citizens directly — he's essentially holding #Obama at legitimacy point rather than at gunpoint because legitimacy is what gives rise to the right to use force and power – legitimacy is the heart of politics and the social contract. And in America, the people really do have the final say — Obama has backed down in the face of unprecedented humiliation and opposition across the country.

    #opCheckMate — hold officials accountable at legitimacy point rather than at gunpoint – with effective arguments and diplomatic accord rather than with brutal force and oppression with military might. Because the PEOPLE who decide to stand with a disgraced leader are then responsible and are ONLY then deserving of a military strike. #Putin asked America to take its chance to lead its nation and do the right thing, hats off to him for bypassing the chief thief.

    1. I am referring to the attempt to bypass the vote of the people with regards to the unconstitutional military actions conducted without the authorization of con-gress and to the Syria strike which is bringing all of these years of Obama's illegitimate actions to a head. The buck has GOT to stop somewhere before it's too late.

  9. The unconstitutional oppression state cannot last long – it's up to the patriots to reclaim our constitution before it all comes really crashing down. Our government has been infested with corruption and we the people need to peacefully take measures to stop the violence from happening – raise awareness with as many facts as you can, before it's too late!

    1. Most of the people are brain dead when it comes to politics and foreign affairs, all they care about are the kardashians, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber,it will take a miracle for the American people to rise up against the corruption in DC.

      1. '"it will take a miracle for the American people to rise up against the corruption in DC"

        OR the end of a miracle……….. the collapse of the dollar….. Perhaps all fiat currencies. The end of people giving goods and services for bits of green paper from the digital "accounts" of a Ponzi economy……… It.s a house of bits of paper……….. When the big wind cums, bye… bye.. "Full Faith and Credit……" Lol..!!! And soon…………

  10. Pingback: Harry Reid, An American Anarchist | Blue Republican

  11. @Amy Barnes; thanks, many good points.

    In an "of, by, for the people" 'representative' democracy, there is a 'democratic covenant' whereby the sovereign electors delegate their authority to so-called 'representatives,' usually chosen by some election process, who then govern according to the wishes of the majority, whilst protecting minority interests.

    IF that goes wrong – typically by representatives going corrupt, by selling out to the <1%, or worse, some filthy 5th column, say – THEN the covenant is violated; the representatives make themselves non-representatives, the delegated authority 'evaporates' and the erstwhile 'governors' morph themselves into 'tyrannical rulers.'

    It's where we are.

    In this situation, no law made by tyrants can be valid, no taxation may be levied without valid representation, and specifically, such tyrants may not legally send a country to war.

    Instead of a 'country of laws' it becomes a 'country of outlaws.'

    Q: What can be done?

    A: Not a lot, due to the sordid 'rest of the story,' whereby the controlling factions of the M/I/C/$4a†-plex[*] have a lock on the system. That must be overcome.

    Specifically, what is needed is:

    a) rules (attempting) to stop representatives going corrupt (with stiff penalties if/when they do),

    b) rules (attempting) to stop anyone telling lies (politicians, lobbies, corporations or persons and *especially* MSM+PFBCs), ditto penalties,

    c) reverse the ppp-dd'd[§] condition of the electors,

    d) a process whereby (a) to (c) can be accomplished, without using physical force (the tyrants have too many guns). Force is required (Newton's 1st law), so the only force available is intellectual; inspiration = Gandhi.

    PS I recommend bypassing the 'corrupt representative' problem by going to a direct democracy model, whereby the citizens could vote per item, after studying the pros & cons ('national public debates'), then taking a small qualifying quiz to prove their competency. IMHO the people – whose planet is it? – would be capable of it, IF lies were banished.

    [*] M/I/C/$4a†-plex = military, industrial, Congress (US-speak for parliament); $ = banksters, 4 = 4th estate = MSM+PFBCs, 'a' = academia incl. think-tanks, † = the churches

    [§] ppp-dd'd = pushed-propaganda paradigm dumbed-down

  12. Pingback: Blav Obama putt över Putins brev i New York Times? | Peter Harold – Skrivarens blogg
  13. Pingback: US government still lusting for war on Syria (C.I.) | thecommonillsbackup
  15. Pingback: Iraq snapshot (C.I.) | thecommonillsbackup

  16. Amash is NOT referring to the USA PATRIOT Act. He's referring to the 2012 #NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act), which allows for the indefinite detention of any person who supports "Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces, including anyone who commits a belligerent act…"

    Please update your article to reflect this information.

  17. Any wonder why we wouldn't even consider that the "rebels" might have been the ones to use the chemical weapons?

  18. Pingback: Barack’s illegal spying (Rebecca) | thecommonillsbackup

  19. This news should not be surprising, since it is obvious that our President (and Congressional leaders of both parties) have effectively created a "safe haven" for Al Qaeda affiliates in Syria for the past two years. To date there has not been a single reported US drone (or other military) attack on any Al Qaeda group in Syria — despite the well known fact that the two leading anti-government fighting groups in Syria are self-proclaimed Al Qaeda affiliates (Al Nusra and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant [Syria]). We have been getting daily reports in major US news media about these Al Qaeda groups operating openly in (and in many cases occupying for substantial periods) specific cities, towns and villages in Syria, making them obvious and easy targets for US drone strikes. Of course one does not attack one's allies.

  20. Pingback: Common Sense with Paul Jacob » Archive » Townhall: The Logic of Atrocity
  21. Pingback: Obama Waives Ban on Arming Terrorists So He Can Aid Syrian Rebels | mediachecker

  22. In a few horrible seconds, youthful celebrity Justin Bieber produced his lawyer Roy Black's job a heck of considerably more complicated.

    Bieber, who was pulled over by the police in Miami Beach on Thursday for drunken driving a vehicle, avoiding apprehension and driving a car without a genuine license, made the decision it might be smart to spill his instincts to the Miami Beach Police Division.

    As outlined by Miami Beach Police Chief Raymond Martinez, during his stop, Bieber "made a few statements that he had ingested some alcohol, as well as he was smoking marijuana and consumed some prescribed drugs," before being behind the steering wheel of a yellow-colored Lamborghini.

  23. Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that “the CIA has begun delivering weapons to rebels in Syria, ending months of delay in lethal aid that had been promised by the Obama administration, according to U.S. officials and Syrian figures.”

  24. Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that a??the CIA has begun delivering weapons to rebels in Syria, ending months of delay in lethal aid that had been promised by the Obama administration, according to U.S. officials and Syrian figures.a??

  26. "The State, both in its genesis and by its primary intention, is purely anti-social. It is not based on the idea of natural rights, but on the idea that the individual has no rights except those that the State may provisionally grant him. It has always made justice costly and difficult of access, and has invariably held itself above justice and common morality whenever it could advantage itself by so doing."
    –Albert Jay Nock http://www.al3ab66.com

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