Thread by @marty_lederman

1/ I *think* this is a hugely important story that's yet to be excavated. Please let me know if anyone's gotten to the bottom of it.

@juliettekayyem @just_security @lawfareblog

Many or most of Trump's closest advisors in NSC/DoD/State/etc. have been warning him for years ...

2/ ... that he shouldn't withdraw the 50-150 US troops from the Syrian border because it would betray our allies, lead to their slaughter, empower Russia in Syria, risk release of many ISIL detainees, allow Turkey to breach the UN Charter w/impunity, and more. (cont.)

3/ Yet following his call w/Erdogan, Trump (presumably) directed DoD to order those troops withdrawn, which led to precisely the calamity he'd been warned about. Do we yet know the answers to these key questions?:

4/ i. *Why* did he do it? (He hasn't given a remotely plausible account yet publicly.)

ii. What did the high-ranking DoD officers (and NSC officials, etc.) say to him when he called them and told them to issue the order? Did they try to talk him out of it? (cont.)

5/ If so, did he explain why he was refusing to back down? If so, was his explanation at all coherent?

iii. What, if anything, can be done now, esp. in terms of force deployment, to limit the consequences of this inexplicable, disastrous decision? And if Trump won't do it ...

6/ ... are super-majorities of Congress prepared to enact a statute requiring him to do so?

7/ iii. Oh, and also: When if ever will we (or Congress) see the transcripts of his conversations w/Erdogan and Putin?

8/ NOTE: I can speculate about the answers, as can all of you. What I'm looking for is actual reporting w/reliable sources.