Senate Republicans are harshly criticizing the Biden administration for expressing condolences over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. His ruthless methods earned him the nickname “The Butcher of Tehran.”
“It is ridiculous that the Biden administration has touted its support for human rights while at the same time expressing public condolences for the ‘butchers of Tehran.’ Clearly, today’s Democratic Party has become a pro-terrorist party. “There are,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) told FOX News Digital.
House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik of New York called the State Department’s message “unacceptable, unnecessary and outrageous.”
“Biden’s State Department expressed condolences over the death of a brutal and vicious enemy of the United States who led an alleged charge of funding terrorist proxies around the world who tortured and murdered his own citizens and killed U.S. soldiers. is a new low for Joe Biden,” Stefanik said. said in a statement Tuesday morning.
Iranian president, foreign minister and other officials confirmed dead in helicopter crash
House Republicans, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, are going after President Biden’s State Department for expressing condolences over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. (Getty Images)
“Congressman Blinken’s weak leadership and eagerness to appease a hostile Iranian regime reflect Mr. Biden’s policy of defecting to our nation’s enemies.”
Raisi and Iran’s foreign minister were pronounced dead on Monday after their helicopter crashed in a mountainous area in northwestern Iran, state television reported.
According to some reports, the late conservative cleric was part of a panel of four judges accused of ordering the execution of as many as 30,000 political dissidents in the 1980s. Since the 1990s, he was known for his brutal methods of silencing opponents.
As president, he also oversaw the government’s harsh response to mass protests over the killing of a 22-year-old woman accused of not wearing the hijab properly.
Iranian president dies in helicopter crash; United Nations offers moment of silence for ‘Tehran massacrer’ Raisi
People hold up posters of President Ebrahim Raisi during a memorial service for President Ebrahim Raisi at Vali Easr Square in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Following news of Raisi’s death, the State Department issued a brief statement saying, “The United States expresses its condolences to the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian, and other members of their delegation in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran.” We would like to publicly express our condolences.” As Iran elects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their fight for human rights and fundamental freedoms. ”
This provoked opposition not only from the leadership but also from ordinary Republican politicians.
“There is a reason why Ebrahim Raisi was known as the “Butcher of Tehran.” He was an evil tyrant who persecuted and murdered thousands of innocent Iranians, and was himself a disciple of the Ayatollah. ” wrote Rep. Byron Donald, Republican of Florida. X Tuesday. “America should not mourn. The world is a safer place without him.”
Rep. Mike Walz (R-Fla.) called on the Biden administration to “publicly denounce” the Iranian regime instead of offering condolences and even supporting the Iranian resistance and “the Trump administration’s He called for a return to a “maximum pressure campaign.”
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House Majority Whip Tom Emmer called the State Department’s statement “absurd.”
State Department spokesman Matt Miller defended the U.S. position when asked about the controversy at a press conference Monday afternoon.
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“We have been clear that Ebrahim Raisi has been a brutal accomplice to the oppression of the Iranian people for nearly 40 years,” Miller said. “That said, we deplore any loss of life. We don’t want to see anyone die in a helicopter crash. But the reality of his career, both as a judge and as President of Iran, is that his hands are bloody.” So the most important thing is that our fundamental stance towards Iran has not changed and will never change.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for further comment.
