'This Is Insane': John Thune Blasts Biden Over Withholding Aid To Israel

4 months ago

At a Senate Republican press briefing on Thursday, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) spoke about President Biden and Israel.

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Transcript

00:00 Thank you, Lindsey, for your leadership on this and all issues that pertain not only

00:10 to America's national security interests but to that of our allies.

00:15 Seventy-two percent of Americans support the idea that Israel needs to take the actions

00:21 necessary to protect itself and to end the rule and reign of Hamas, a terrorist organization

00:28 operating not only there but in an entire region of the world.

00:33 That is a much larger percentage of the American people, obviously, than support what Joe Biden

00:38 is doing.

00:40 And as has been pointed out, this is an opportunity for America to stand shoulder to shoulder

00:47 with our closest ally and to convey to the people of that country that the United States

00:53 is a reliable ally and that we can be counted on.

00:57 The problem with what's happening with the Biden administration today is not only does

01:00 it force people to question our reliability as an ally, it puts Israel's national security

01:07 interests at risk.

01:09 This is insane what is being suggested by this administration.

01:13 After the Congress, in huge bipartisan fashion, supported over $14 billion to go to aid Israel,

01:21 this administration would decide unilaterally, without any input from Congress or anybody

01:27 else, that because they don't like the way that Israel is defending itself against this

01:31 threat that somehow they're going to start cutting off the very assistance that the United

01:36 States Congress said that we want sent to Israel, to our ally, to make sure that they're

01:41 able to defend themselves and to root out this terrorist organization operating on their

01:48 border.

01:49 The American people support Israel overwhelmingly, as has already been pointed out, and they

01:57 also believe that Israel needs to do what is necessary.

02:01 And if that includes going into Rafa to root out the Hamas threat, then that is necessary

02:08 for their very survival.

02:09 This is an existential threat for the people of Israel.

02:12 The United States needs to have their back.

02:14 We have their back.

02:15 The American people have their back.

02:17 The Republicans here in the United States Senate have their back.

02:20 And we will do everything we possibly can to make sure that Joe Biden, notwithstanding

02:25 his statements of the last few days here, does what the American people and the United

02:31 States Congress have said we need to be doing to support our strongest ally in the world.

'This Is Insane': John Thune Blasts Biden Over Withholding Aid To Israel

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