This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Rep. Chris Stewart issued a press release in support of President Trump's recent missile strikes in Syria. Just four years ago, in press releases still available on his website, Stewart opposed any strikes.

Stewart then called upon his expert authority as an Air Force pilot and as a member of the Intelligence committee to state that strikes targeting airfields would not degrade Syria's ability to use chemical weapons and would tilt the war toward unreliable insurgents that were not pro-western. He also urged then-President Obama to obtain congressional authorization to use force in Syria.

Fast forward, Stewart's opinion changes 180 degrees with a change in administration, but no substantive change in events. Stewart must urge Trump to seek congressional authorization to use force against the Assad regime. Failure to do so will expose his hypocrisy and demonstrate that his expert authority is merely a guise to put party before country.

Craig Buschmann

West Jordan