Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) criticized the Biden administration for appeasing its adversaries, the latest Republican to slam President Joe Biden for his tactics in handling countries like Iran as the war in the Middle East continues.
Blackburn said in an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday that under Biden, foreign policy has become “muddled” and “confused.”
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“We need a clear-eyed policy, our enemies need to fear us, our allies need to know they are our ally and friend, and with Jake Sullivan and this White House, what you have had is an administration believing in appeasement and thinking you can go negotiate with terrorist organizations and get them to do what you want them to do,” Blackburn said. “That is not possible.”
Her comments come over a week after Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group, launched attacks against Israel. Following Israel’s counterattack against the group, the death toll on both sides has risen dramatically.
Iran has been a longtime patron of various Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group. Several Republicans have blasted Biden for allowing $6 billion in Iranian funds to be unfrozen as part of a hostage exchange on Sept. 11, despite the Biden administration denying the funds will be used to aid Hamas.
Blackburn led Senate Republicans in writing a letter to Biden asking him to refreeze the $6 billion in funds. She personally called on the Biden administration to redirect the funds to Israel on Monday.
The Tennessee senator said she thinks national security adviser Jake Sullivan should resign for misleading the government about national security threats around the world, including Iran. She blasted Sullivan for his work with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran nuclear deal, as well as “Russiagate” involving former President Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“Now he is back. He has helped to cook up this hostage exchange and the $6 billion,” Blackburn said of Sullivan. “He was out there a couple of weeks before we have the Hamas attacks on Israel, saying that the Middle East is calmer than it has been.”
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Israel is preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza. More than 1.1 million Gazans have been told to leave the northern part of the densely populated Palestinian area, with the goal of minimizing civilian casualties. A senior Hamas official warned Israel last week that Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah “will join the battle if Gaza is subjected to a war of annihilation.”
Hezbollah has taken responsibility for direct-fire attacks along Israel’s border with Lebanon. The Iran-backed Shiite group’s attacks against Israel from its base in Lebanon have raised fears that Hezbollah could join the war against Israel, expanding the scope of the conflict.
