Washington sources reported that the White House denied that Secretary of Defense James Mattis had advised US President Donald Trump against striking Syria before seeking Congress sanction. Meanwhile a statement from White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said "Reports that Secretary Mattis urged the President to seek congressional approval before last week's strikes in Syria are categorically false".
Media reported "As Secretary Mattis explained to Congress in yesterday's all-member briefs, the President appropriately ordered the strikes under his constitutional authorities". Further the response came after the US media cited military and administration sources as saying that Mattis had urged Trump to seek Congressional approval before punishing Syria for alleged use of chemical weapons.
Earlier Trump, who was said to be eager to back up his fiery tweets
against the Syrian government, reportedly then, overruled Mattis. Moreover the
US, in coordination with the UK and France, fired a barrage of missiles against
three targets in Syria that it alleged contained, manufactured or researched
chemical weapons. Accordingly the attack came one year after US forces took out
a Syrian government military airfield, which it said supported chemical
attacks.
