Maddow warns of ‘perception’ Trump ordered strikes to distract from scandals

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Friday warned that the "perception" that US President Donald Trump ordered military strikes in Syria to distract from the domestic scandals plaguing his presidency would hurt their effectiveness.

In this image released by the US Department of Defense the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey fires a Tomahawk land attack missile on April 14, 2018.  (AFP)

"If the president of the United States is believed to have issued the order to launch this strike tonight, even in part because people think he wanted to distract from a catastrophic domestic scandal that is blowing up at home at the same time ... will affect the the impact and effectiveness of these military strikes," she said on her MSNBC program "The Rachel Maddow Show."

Trump authorized missile strikes against the Syrian government on Friday night in a joint operation with the UK and France. Syria's government is accused of using chemical weapons to attack its own citizens last weekend.