It looks like defense secretary James Mattis wants the record to show he urged Trump to be cautious with Syria air strikes

US Defense Secretary James Mattis may have used leaks about strikes on Syria to distance himself from President Donald Trump and potentially negative fallout from Friday's US-led military action.

On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported Mattis was resistingTrump's desire for sweeping strikes on Syria and successfully halted two potential attacks earlier this week. The Journal also said Mattis wanted "a more limited action that wouldn't risk a wider confrontation with Russian forces."

CNN and the The New York Times also reported that Mattis warned Trump, in a meeting with military officials on Thursday, that an aggressive response in Syria would risk escalating US involvement.

The information was told to reporters by defense and US officials, which may have been a strategy from Mattis' team, according to experts.

Read the full article at Business Insider