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Virginia State Senator (Dick Black) Travels to Syria, Praises Assad
Source: Associated Press
Virginia State Senator Travels to Syria, Praises Assad
By ALAN SUDERMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
RICHMOND, Va. — Apr 27, 2016, 1:37 PM ET
An outspoken Republican state senator from Virginia has traveled to Syria and promised support for the government of President Bashar Assad, who U.S. officials have repeatedly said has lost the legitimacy to rule the war-torn country.
Sen. Dick Black's trip to a Middle Eastern country in the midst of a civil war and his comments in the face of official U.S. foreign policy are highly unusual for a state lawmaker.
Black is a part-time state representative who has no role in official U.S. foreign policy. Still, he has met with Assad government officials and said he would advocate for better relationships between Assad and the U.S., according to the official Syrian news agency.
"I will be Syria's voice," Black said, according to the news agency.
Black is one of the most vocal social conservatives in Virginia's General Assembly, and has drawn national attention for his opposition to abortion and gay rights. The former Vietnam War veteran and military lawyer dismayed Republican leaders in 2003 by sending fellow lawmakers small, plastic likenesses of a fetus to underscore his opposition toward abortion.
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By ALAN SUDERMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
RICHMOND, Va. — Apr 27, 2016, 1:37 PM ET
An outspoken Republican state senator from Virginia has traveled to Syria and promised support for the government of President Bashar Assad, who U.S. officials have repeatedly said has lost the legitimacy to rule the war-torn country.
Sen. Dick Black's trip to a Middle Eastern country in the midst of a civil war and his comments in the face of official U.S. foreign policy are highly unusual for a state lawmaker.
Black is a part-time state representative who has no role in official U.S. foreign policy. Still, he has met with Assad government officials and said he would advocate for better relationships between Assad and the U.S., according to the official Syrian news agency.
"I will be Syria's voice," Black said, according to the news agency.
Black is one of the most vocal social conservatives in Virginia's General Assembly, and has drawn national attention for his opposition to abortion and gay rights. The former Vietnam War veteran and military lawyer dismayed Republican leaders in 2003 by sending fellow lawmakers small, plastic likenesses of a fetus to underscore his opposition toward abortion.
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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/virginia-state-senator-travels-syria-praises-assad-38709529
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