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Congressman Ted Yoho: More proof necessary before a US strike

Florida’s Republican Rep. Ted Yoho expressed doubt over who launched the chemical weapons attack Aug. 21 in Syrian-rebel stronghold of Ghouta.

Florida’s Republican Rep. Ted Yoho expressed doubt over who launched the chemical weapons attack Aug. 21 in Syrian-rebel stronghold of Ghouta.

“There are reports that the rebel groups have used it, too. And until we have 100% decisive evidence, I think it would be wrong for America to intervene at this moment,” he said on Jansing & Co. Tuesday.

The Obama administration says the evidence makes it irrefutable that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad perpetrated the attack, killing more than 1,000 Syrians and hundreds of children. Western allies such as Britain and France agree. Assad has denied responsibility and said rebel forces were to blame. Russian President Vladimir Putin supports Assad's view, saying it is "utter nonsense" that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons.

For Yoho, it remains one of the many questions that must be answered before the U.S. commits to a military strike. The House Foreign Affairs Committee member told Jansing & Co. that he thinks “the decisive action or the factor in the House would be that if you can prove 100 percent that this is a national security threat to Americans on American soil, I think that's a point that I think everybody would support.”

Yoho said he looked forward to having his questions answered when Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel sit down with the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday before he votes on whether or not to authorize a military strike in Syria.