'Trump insulted Pelosi': Democrats walk out of White House meeting on Syria

Washington: Congressional Democrats walked out of a White House meeting on the Syria issue on Wednesday, claiming President Donald Trump insulted Speaker Nancy Pelosi by calling her a "third-rate politician".

The White House had invited the leadership and top committee members of both Democrats and Republicans, and the Congress to brief them about their policy on Syria.

The Democrat-controlled US House of Representatives has passed a resolution rebuking Trump's decision to pull out troops from northern Syria, a move that paved the way for Turkey to launch cross-border military operations against Kurdish forces, who were a key ally of the US in the fight against the ISIS.

Senate Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer told reporters at the White House that Trump insulted House Speaker Pelosi by calling her "a third-rate politician.

He also said President Trump told him that the Turks and the Syrians will guard ISIS prisoners. "The president has no real plans for containing the ISIS," Schumer said.

The Democrats said they had walked out of the meeting because of the insults against Pelosi.

Earlier the House of Representative passed a bicameral, bipartisan resolution opposing Trump's decision in Syria. It was passed by a vote of 354 to 60.

The president unleashed an escalation of chaos and insecurity in Syria when he gave Turkey the green light to attack our Kurdish partners threatening lives, risking regional security and undermining America's credibility as a trustworthy ally, Pelosi said.

Together, the Congress calls on Trump to support Kurdish communities, to work to ensure that the Turkish military acts with restraint and to present a clear strategy to defeat ISIS, she said.

There is no strategy right now from the White House for ISIS, Syria or the region. The House will continue to take action to honour the sacrifice of our military and our allies, and to restore sanity and strength to our national security, Pelosi said.