Congressman Scott DesJarlais, M.D. (TN-04) issued the following statement on the news that President Obama will begin supplying Syrian rebels for the first time with small arms and ammunition

“I am deeply concerned with President Obama sending weapons to the Syrian rebels. The enemy of our enemy is not always our friend.

“There are reports that this aid will go to the Syrian Military Council, a military wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. Further, we know that many of the rebels fighting Assad have links to Al-Qaeda or its affiliates. That means that taxpayer dollars will go towards helping individuals that hate America and the very principles for which we stand. 

“While it is certainly true that Bashar al-Assad is no friend to the United States, neither is the Muslim Brotherhood or Al-Qaeda. How many times have we armed rebels in the Middle East only to have those weapons used against us at a later date?”