Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, criticized President Joe Biden's administration for the withholding of aid and intelligence to Israel amid the conflict with Hamas on Newsmax on Monday.
Van Duyne accused the administration of disregarding bipartisan congressional support for Israeli assistance and questioned its commitment to protecting innocent lives.
"They don't care about protecting one of our strongest allies in the world, and they really don't care about congressional intent. When you have that Israeli package that passed with massive bipartisan support without the handcuffs the Biden administration is trying to put on it, they don't care about the law," she said on "The Chris Salcedo Show."
Van Duyne highlighted the Biden administration's reluctance to provide immediate intelligence and weapons to aid Israel in targeting Hamas terrorists.
"If they really did care about the innocent Palestinians, which is why they claim to be doing this, why are they not giving the intelligence that they have [to Israel]? Why are they not giving them the weapons right now that could pinpoint the Hamas terrorists?" She said.
Van Duyne criticized the administration's alleged attempts to "play both sides" of the conflict, emphasizing that Hamas is endangering civilians by using them as human shields.
"They're [White House] trying to play both sides of this, and it's not working for them. And you know, you talk about right now the massive amount of casualties, Hamas is having civilian people that they are specifically putting in front of the terrorists" as shields, she added.
In response to reports by The Washington Post suggesting a quid-pro-quo offer from the Biden administration to Israel, promising intelligence support in exchange for halting military operations in Rafah, Van Duyne questioned the administration's motives.
She called for accountability and accused the administration of failing to prioritize the safety of Israeli citizens.
"It [withholding aid] tells me that the Biden administration really doesn't care about the loss of innocent civilian lives," she said.
Regarding her party's stance on holding Democrats to the same standards they imposed on Republicans, Van Duyne argued that while there are grounds for impeachment against President Biden, it is essential to maintain consistency in applying such measures. She urged Democrats to consider impeachment proceedings against Biden for withholding aid to Israel, similar to actions taken against former President Donald Trump.
"You have got Congress right now who has passed aid and under the Democrat's definition of impeachment … which is what they impeached Trump on; you said they should be having impeachment hearings right now," she said. "Impeachment articles against Biden for doing the very same thing, which is holding up [aid] help to Israel after it has already been passed by Congress."
In April, a package to deliver $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan — a bipartisan win months in the making — was approved in the Senate 79-18 and subsequently signed into law by President Biden.
The Biden administration has denied withholding assistance to Israel and reiterated its commitment to supporting efforts to target Hamas leaders.
"We're not holding anything back," a National Security Council representative insisted. "We believe [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar should and indeed must be held accountable for the horrors of the Oct. 7 attack," the New York Post reported.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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