House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer today vowed to investigate the Biden administration’s move to liquidate $6 billion in Iranian assets as part of a prisoner exchange deal finalized last month.
Comer (R-Ky.) denounced the concession as a “ransom payment to Iran,” which came weeks before the Tehran-backed terrorist group Hamas launched a bloody attack on Israel that has left more than 1,000 people dead.
“From the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal for the Biden Administration to the $6 billion ransom payment to Iran, President Biden’s policies have led to turmoil in the region. Congress has an obligation to hold the Biden Administration accountable,” Comer said in a statement obtained by The Post.
The White House has aggressively sought to push back suggestions from Republicans that $6 billion contributed to Saturday’s violent rampage by Hamas.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted Sunday that “not a single dollar has been spent from that account,” which is based in Qatar and which Blinken said is closely monitored by the US Treasury.
James Comer leads the impeachment inquiry into President Biden and examines the first family’s foreign business dealingsRon Sachs – CNP / MEGA
The $6 billion comes from Iranian oil revenues that are frozen in South Korea due to international sanctions. The US agreed to unfreeze it for humanitarian use.
Critics, including 2024 Republican contenders such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, argue that the money could be used and the assets would free Tehran to spend more money on its terrorist proxies in the Middle East and elsewhere.
A growing chorus of Republicans has called on the Biden administration to freeze those funds again in the wake of the attack.
Hamas is a terrorist organization funded by Iran.
Joe Biden should have NEVER given $6 billion to Iran.
The fact that the Biden Administration did not consider freezing these funds in the wake of Hamas’ brutal terrorist attacks in Israel is shameful.
Not a cent more has to go… pic.twitter.com/h2ODLXBS89
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) October 10, 2023
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suggested Tehran would use the $6 billion as it sees fit during an interview with NBC.AP
“Hamas is a terrorist organization funded by Iran. Joe Biden should NEVER have given $6 billion to Iran,” Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) said Tuesday.
“The fact that the Biden Administration did not consider freezing these funds in the wake of Hamas’ brutal terrorist attacks in Israel is shameful. Not one cent more should go to Iran.”
In addition to freezing $6 billion, the US and Iran each released five prisoners as part of the swap.
President Biden has supported Israel as it grapples with bloody attacks from Hamas.Getty Images
“The House Oversight Committee will continue to examine foreign policy under this Administration and how it affects our national security. We will also continue our critical oversight of how taxpayer dollars are spent to prevent waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement,” added Comer.
The 51-year-old Kentucky lawmaker and ardent Biden foe continued to admonish that the president “emboldens our enemies around the world.”
Biden has reaffirmed US support for the Jewish state and held at least three phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the most recent Tuesday afternoon.
Ebrahim Raisi has been staunchly anti-Israel and is widely regarded as a hardliner.REUTERS
Iran, a Muslim-majority country, has long provided funds for the Sunni extremist group Hamas as well as the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah, which threatens Israel from the north.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cheered the slaughter of Hamas in Israel.
“From a military and intelligence point of view, this defeat cannot be repaired,” Khamenei told a group of military cadets, Iranian media reported Tuesday.
“It was a terrible earthquake. It is unlikely that the usurping regime will be able to use Western aid to repair the deep impact this incident has left on its governing structure.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Iranian security officials helped plan and approve terrorist attacks over a period of months. However, the Biden administration has refused to point the finger at Tehran, citing a lack of direct evidence.
So far, at least 14 Americans have been killed, according to the White House.
Israel has retaliated, including dropping bombs on Gaza, where Hamas lives, and preparing ground incursions into densely populated areas.
“Hamas offers nothing but violence and bloodshed regardless of who pays the price,” Biden said on Tuesday. “Like every country in the world, Israel has the right to respond – indeed, has the duty to respond – to this violent attack.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
