OAN’s Stephanie Myers
9:12 AM – Friday, May 10, 2024
11 Republican senators held a press conference on a resolution meant to condemn any action by the Biden administration regarding withholding or restricting weapons for Israel.
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Senator Lindsey Graham (R- S.C.) pleaded to President Biden after he declared that the U.S. will not supply weapons and artillery if Israel goes into Rafah.
“The consequences of this decision, Mr. President, are going to change the region and the world for the worse,” Senator Graham remarked during a press conference Thursday.
Republicans argued that Biden needs to change course on his decision making.
Meanwhile, Senator Tom Cotton (R- Ark.) explained how Israel must defeat Hamas in Rafah because Hamas’ leaders and its last four battalions are holed up in the area. Cotton also noted that this action should be grounds for impeachment based on the Trump-Ukraine standard.
“Now, some people say Joe Biden is doing this for his reelection, which would be bad enough. It would also, I have to add, grounds for impeachment under the Democrats’ Trump-Ukraine standard: withholding foreign aid to help one’s reelection. Only, with Joe Biden, it’s true.”
Additionally, Senator Jim Risch (R- Idaho), the ranking member on the Foreign Relations Committee, pointed out that Israel will be going into Rafah “with or without assistance.” He described Biden’s decision to withhold weapons as “a horrible mistake.”
“This is unprecedented. It’s going to be watched by our enemies. It’s going to be watched by our allies. And it is not helpful to the national security of the United States.”
Senator Joni Ernst (R- Iowa) also chimed in and highlighted how there are still Americans being held hostage by Hamas. Biden is “lying about his ironclad support to Israel,” Ernst added.
“The president is a tool folks. He is a tool. In this case, he’s a propaganda tool. But, Hamas is using him and he’s allowing it,” according to Senator Ernst.
Nevertheless, former President Donald Trump criticized Biden’s decision in a Truth Social post the night before, and he asserted that Biden is “taking the side of these terrorists.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) later released a statement and said this situation is a “Deal for Dearborn,” referencing voters in districts with a prevalent Muslim population who voted uncommitted in the Michigan primary.
The House GOP X (Twitter) page featured a hypocritical past statement from Biden in 2019 when he claimed, “the idea that I’d withdraw military aid, as others have suggested, from Israel, is bizarre. I would not do that.”
Meanwhile, White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby reiterated that the Biden administration is “committed to helping Israel reach its military objectives,” but it wants a different strategy that could better avoid civilian casualties.
GOP senators previously argued that by preventing precision-guided weapons to Israel, the death toll from civilian casualties would be even higher.
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