WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, on Thursday made the following statement after Turkish President Erdogan and President Trump spoke on the phone to discuss Turkey’s plan to send troops to Libya. 

“Just like everywhere else, Trump has failed badly in Libya. He has done nothing to stem the growing proxy war there, sent conflicting messages about which side of the civil war the U.S. supports, and paid no attention to the growing humanitarian crisis. Turkey is moving into Libya because America under Trump is weak—Erdogan ignored us in Syria and now he is going to do the same in Libya. Nobody fears us anymore. Nobody listens to us. Yes, Libya was a disaster when Trump came into office. He didn’t make this crisis. But somehow he has managed to make it worse,” said Murphy. 

In November, Murphy introduced bipartisan legislation that supports a peaceful resolution to the Libya conflict with U.S. Senators Coons, Graham and Rubio. The Libya Stabilization Act would place sanctions on individuals fueling violence in the country, require a report on foreign government involvement, and require a strategy to counter Russian influence. The bill would also marshal U.S. resources, including humanitarian assistance, to support the Libyan people and an eventual unified Libyan government. 

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