Rick Scott: Biden now part of 'pro-Hamas group' of Democratic Party
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) ripped into President Biden, calling him part of the "pro-Hamas group" of the Democratic Party, after he threatened to withhold weapons from Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proceeds with a full-scale invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza.
Asked on Fox News's "Fox & Friends" for his reaction to Biden's latest threat, Scott called it "disgusting."
"All he cares about is his election. So he is, we've got a pro-Hamas group of the Democrat Party, and he's part of it now," he added later.
Biden, in a CNN interview released Wednesday, warned he would stop supplying Israel with offensive weapons, including bombs and artillery shells, should Israeli forces lunch an invasion of Rafah. The White House has repeatedly urged Netanyahu against sending forces into Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are seeking refuge amid the violence.
Netanyahu has maintained that moving into Rafah is necessary to go after the leaders of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 and carried out the Oct. 7 surprise assault against Israel that killed about 1,200 people.
Scott suggested Biden's support for humanitarian aid for Gaza continues to enable the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a key U.N. agency that provides food, water and shelter to Palestinians in Gaza.
Several Republicans in Congress have pushed for UNRWA funding to be halted in the wake of allegations that a dozen of its staffers took part in Hamas's Oct. 7 attack.
"[Biden's] clearly on Hamas's side," Scott continued. "I mean, look, what he wanted, right? He wanted the aid so he could give it to Gaza, which goes to Hamas, and then we saw yesterday, UNRWA is stealing the aid and selling it. I mean, you knew this was going to happen, we knew this was going to happen."
The Hill reached out to the White House for comment.
Scott reflected on his recent trip to Israel, where he met with Netanyahu in Gal On, a kibbutz in the southern part of the country.
"Would we leave [Osama] bin Laden in a corner and just pull back because the world didn't like the way we're fighting a war? And they're [Israel] all committed to making sure they give the civilians plenty of time to get out of Rafah," Scott said, adding later, "Think about it, I mean, if they attacked America, if somebody attacked America, we're going to say, 'Oh no, we're not going to go after the people that killed our women and children?'"
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), in an interview with Politico on Wednesday, said he hopes Biden was having a “senior moment” when he made the threat. He suggested Biden's comments violated what the Speaker thought were promises to guarantee Johnson's support for the $95 billion emergency foreign aid package.
“I hope — I believe he’s off-script,” Johnson said. “I don’t think that’s something that staff told him to say. I hope it’s a senior moment, because that would be a great deviation in what is said to be the policy there.”
Scott alleged Biden was mostly interested in aid for Ukraine and Gaza when pushing for the emergency supplemental but did not provide any evidence to back these claims up.
"I knew this was going to happen. I said this was going to happen with that, with the supplemental, because here’s what he wanted. All he wanted was Ukraine aid. That’s all he cared about, and humanitarian. He got it. He didn’t believe in Israel aid," Scott said.
Date: | |
Tag: | Joe Biden |
Filter
-
These 16 House Democrats bucked Biden, party leadership on Israel bill
Sixteen House Democrats voted to undo President Biden’s pause on some weapons shipments to Israel on Thursday, breaking with the White House and party leadership, who urged its members to oppose the GOP-led bill. The chamber approved the ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
Democratic group targets Republicans over IVF in Arizona
A Democratic super PAC is targeting Republicans over the issue of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the battleground state of Arizona as Democrats ramp up their attacks on reproductive access ahead of the 2024 election. Progress Action Fund, which ...The Hill - Politics - Republican Party -
Democrats' Last Chance to Dump Biden?
If Kennedy is permitted on the debate stage he could audition for Democrats before their nominating convention.The Wall Street Journal - World - Joe Biden -
Conservative outside group drops $70M on Senate Democrats in battlegrounds
Politico - Politics -
Democrats can still jettison Biden as an ‘August Surprise’
A growing number of Democrats see Biden as becoming the political version of “Groundhog Day.” Every night they go to sleep dreaming of having a new nominee and every morning they wake up to the same old Biden.The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
Will Biden Now Step Up on Ukraine?
His limits on Kyiv are a strategy for defeat on the installment plan.The Wall Street Journal - World - Joe Biden -
Republicans Force Democrats to Take Sides on Biden's Israel Policy
House Republicans passed a bill Thursday that would force the U.S. government to resume paused weapons shipments to Israel.The Wall Street Journal - World -
Top House Foreign Relations Democrat: Biden message to Israel 'clear and consistent'
Amid criticism from House Republicans, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss President Biden's policy in the Israel-Hamas War.NBC News - Politics - Joe Biden -
‘The house is on fire’: Democrats fear Biden is losing pivotal Georgia
President has shed support among Black voters who helped him defeat Trump in battleground state in 2020Financial Times - Business - Joe Biden -
Alarmed Democrats flee Biden’s ailing brand in battleground states
Vulnerable Senate Democrats are distancing themselves from President Biden’s ailing brand after polls show him trailing former President Trump in several battleground states. Democrats in tough races are breaking with Biden over border security, ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden
More from The Hill
-
Schumer tees up round two for bipartisan border bill
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is tee-ing up a second attempt at passing the bipartisan border bill — after Republicans blocked it earlier this year — a move that comes as the situation at the southern border remains top of mind for ...The Hill - Politics -
Democratic group targets Republicans over IVF in Arizona
A Democratic super PAC is targeting Republicans over the issue of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the battleground state of Arizona as Democrats ramp up their attacks on reproductive access ahead of the 2024 election. Progress Action Fund, which ...The Hill - Politics - Republican Party -
Alarmed Democrats flee Biden’s ailing brand in battleground states
Vulnerable Senate Democrats are distancing themselves from President Biden’s ailing brand after polls show him trailing former President Trump in several battleground states. Democrats in tough races are breaking with Biden over border security, ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
Red state abortion bans headed for clash with blue state shield laws
A clash is looming between anti-abortion red states and the blue state telemedicine shield laws trying to preserve abortion access. More than a dozen states have laws shielding medical providers and others from out-of-state investigations and ...The Hill - Politics - Abortion -
Congress sets stage for ‘side deal’ spending fight with White House
Congress is setting the stage for another partisan government-funding fight, as conservatives look to chip away at a previous “side deal” struck between Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and the White House aimed at boosting nondefense dollars. ...The Hill - Politics