The House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into the Biden administration’s threat to withhold offensive aid from Israel if it moves forward with a ground invasion of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.
Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) questioned both the decision-making process and the timing of the announcement itself in a letter to President Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan. It showed.
He also requested Congressional briefings from the White House National Security Council, as well as communications and other documents related to talks on suspending all types of aid to Israel, due by May 24. Ta.
“The committee is motivated by the Biden administration’s political maneuvering to provide U.S. taxpayer-funded aid to Israel,” Comer wrote in a letter signed by Republicans on the oversight committee. I am very cautious about this,” he said. “On May 9, 2024, President Biden publicly announced that Israel would not supply offensive weapons that could be used to attack Rafah, Hamas’ last major stronghold in Gaza.”
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House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is launching an investigation into President Biden’s decision to withhold support from Israel if it invaded Rafah in the Gaza Strip. (Getty Images)
“Further reports indicate that the National Security Council actively kept this information public for several days to prevent news of the decision from becoming known when President Biden gave a speech touting aid for Israel on Holocaust Remembrance Day. It has been shown that the committee chose to hide from the scene the legal justification for withholding essential supplies from Israel in the fight against Hamas terrorists who have taken Israelis and Americans hostage. We are also seeking documentation and information related to this decision, including:
In a CNN interview aired Wednesday night, Biden issued a do-or-die ultimatum to the Israeli government, which is preparing for a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The city is currently home to more than 1 million Palestinians who have left other parts of the Gaza Strip, where Israel is conducting a mission to eradicate the terrorist group Hamas.
“The idea of cutting off military aid to our allies, our only true allies in this entire region, is just ridiculous. It’s beyond me that anyone would do that.”
Biden said in an interview with CNN that Israel will continue to see U.S. support for defense systems like Iron Dome. But he added: “If they go into Rafah, I will not supply them with the weapons that have historically been used to deal with Rafah, to deal with the city, to deal with that problem. ” he added.
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Smoke billows after an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separation wall between Egypt and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, May 7. (AP/Ramez Haboob)
“The committee finds both the decision to withhold essential military aid and the decision to hide that decision from the public for political purposes to be concerning. Given that House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has promised that the administration will “bring transparency” and return the truth to the government, hiding information from the public for political gain is a no-brainer. “Does not meet the Commission’s definition of transparency,” Comer wrote.
“The Biden administration’s priorities appear to be motivated by public perception rather than what’s best for national security or foreign affairs.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
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White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters Thursday that Israel was aware of the Biden administration’s warnings about offensive aid before the CNN interview, suggesting that Israel He stressed that they have not yet fully invaded Rafah’s populated areas.
“The president said yesterday that if Israel were indeed to proceed with a large-scale ground operation in Rafah, he would not provide certain types of weapons to support such an operation. “I understood it from the start,” Kirby said.
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“He also said yesterday that he will continue to ensure that Israel has all the military means it needs to defend itself against all its enemies, including Hamas. For him, this is easy. “That’s necessary, but he doesn’t want certain types of American weapons to be used in certain places for certain types of operations, he’s been clear and consistent. ”
But what’s notable is that Biden said of Israeli aid in a 2019 PBS interview, “The idea of cutting off military aid to an ally that is our only real true ally in the entire region is just ridiculous. That is beyond anyone’s or my understanding.” I would. ”
The House Oversight Committee has already approved the Biden administration’s decision to revoke the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) after officials from refugee organizations were indicted in connection with the Hamas terrorist attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. We are investigating funding.
