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Morning Joe: Power's U.N. Speech Criticized Obama for Lack of Intervention in Aleppo

December 14, 2016

MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday described Samantha Power's speech to the United Nations regarding the "horrors committed" in Aleppo, Syria as "damning words" against President Obama for not doing more to stop the atrocities committed there.

Power, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., spoke before the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday and directed her remarks at Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces have reportedly been shooting and burning alive civilians in Aleppo after effectively retaking the Syrian city.

"To the Assad regime, Russia, Iran, three member states behind the conquest of and carnage in Aleppo, you bear responsibility for these atrocities," Power said. "When one day there is a full accounting of the horrors committed in this assault of Aleppo, and that day will come sooner or later, you will not be able to say you did not know what was happening and you will not be able to say you were not involved. We all know what was happening, and we all know you were involved. It should shame you."

Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough weighed in on the U.N. Security Council address.

"Those were damning, damning words, but they were damning words of the Obama administration," Scarborough said. "How Samantha Power, with all due respect, a woman that I respect, but how she sits there and says those words working for an administration that has been mute on this issue or backed down when they actually finally did show some spine, it's unspeakable."

"These pictures are not just the legacy of Putin and Assad, these pictures are the legacy of the United States and their president," Scarborough continued while video of the destruction in Aleppo played on air.

"We sat here and did nothing," he added before handing credit to Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.), as well as columnist Mike Barnicle, for taking flack after being outspoken about taking military action in Syria.

"They called this right from day one," Scarborough said.