Adam Kinzinger: White House Hasn't Reached Out On Syria

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Sunday accused the Obama administration of lacking engagement with Congress leading up to a vote to authorize the use of force in Syria, saying he didn't get any response when he asked how he could help gather support.

"I think it's going to be very difficult for him to get votes," Kinzinger, a member of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee, said of President Barack Obama. "And I think that goes back not just to the issue itself, but you can't begin to build a relationship with Congress for the first time when you need their support on something like this."

White House officials -- and Obama himself -- have met with members, testified on the Hill and held briefings for staff and members.

But Kinzinger said there hasn't been enough contact. Right now, there's a "trust deficit" even among those who might otherwise support action, he said.

"A week and a half ago, my office actually reached out to the White House and said, 'Hey, we support the strike on Syria, we're going to help you round up support if you need it,'" he said. "I haven't heard back from the White House yet. I haven't heard back from anyone. I don't even know who my White House liaison is."

See the current whip count of where lawmakers stand on Syria intervention: