Colorado U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner may get tongue-tied when reporters ask him about the president’s mixing of elections and foreign policy, but he found his voice on international affairs Sunday morning in the wake of the suicide of an Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

President Trump announced that al-Baghdadi blew himself up as U.S. Special Forces approached his position in Syria, in a tunnel. It was reported he detonated explosives packed in a vest and killed himself and three of his six children.

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Trump called the ISIS leader “the world’s No. 1 terrorist leader.”

“He was a sick and depraved man, and now he’s gone,” the president said.

As Trump sought a much-needed victory lap in the wake of Syrian chaos and an impeachment investigation over his dealings with Ukraine, Gardner gave the Trump no direct credit Sunday morning. Instead Gardner credited those who don’t usually get a lot of support from Trump, the U.S. intelligence community.

He referenced, indirectly, Trump’s decision on troop withdrawal from northern Syria this month, which opened the door for Turkish and Russian troops to seize the region from Kurdish forces allied with the U.S.

The move has drawn criticism, including Republicans usually allied with the president, as a means for ISIS to rebuild.

“ISIS is responsible for the brutal murder of countless men, women and children and is guilty of reprehensible horror around the globe,” Gardner said in his Sunday morning statement. “The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a step towards defeating ISIS, and I’m immeasurably grateful to the United States Intelligence Community and our brave service members who undertook this mission.

“The announcement today underscores the need for a sustained commitment to our allies in the region to eradicate the scourge of terrorism.”

The senator from the Eastern Plains is fighting a tough re-election bid, as Democrats try to link him at every turn to the president, who, like Gardner, is proving unpopular in polling a year out from Election Day, while Democrats deal with their own turmoil of a large, diverse field of candidates seeking the nomination to run against him.

Gardner is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and chairs a subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy. He also sits on the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee.

A spokeswoman for Colorado’s other senator, Democrat Michael Bennet, referred Colorado Politics to his Twitter feed Sunday morning.

“Grateful to the men and women of our military and intelligence community for their commitment, persistence, and skill,” tweeted Bennet, who is campaigning for president. “While this isn’t the end of our efforts, this marks a significant milestone in our fight against ISIS.”

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a first-term Democrat from Aurora, also weighed in Sunday morning on Twitter.

“The death of ISIS leader al-Baghdadi is a testament to the courage and training of American special operations and intelligence personnel,” Crow said. “America will respond to terrorism and threats around the world, and the fight against ISIS must continue. This successful mission shows once again how important it is that we partner with our allies around the world. We are stronger with friends.”

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado Springs who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, weighed in on Twitter Sunday afternoon. He gave Trump credit where Gardner did not.

“I’m grateful for our brave men & women in uniform for their daring raid in which Abu Bakr Baghdad-one of the most evil men on earth was killed,” he tweeted. “Great job by everyone in the COC, from @POTUS to the intel officers to the brave special operators who put themselves in harm’s way.”