(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has accused President Joe Biden of engaging in extortion against Israel by withholding intelligence on the whereabouts of Hamas leaders unless the Jewish state refrains from invading Rafah, located at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip.
Lee made these remarks during an interview on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures with host Maria Bartiromo. The alleged offer was first reported by The Washington Post.
Bartiromo, after paraphrasing The Post, exclaimed, “Are you kidding me? In other words, the U.S. knows where the terrorists are. They’re not going to share the information with Israel unless Israel doesn’t go into Rafah?”
Concurring with Bartiromo, Lee did not hold back in his response. “The story is outrageous,” he said. “The facts underlying it are tragic. This is extortion.”
Expanding on his critique, Lee continued, “We’re saying, ‘We can help you locate your victims who have been kept under just horrible, horrific conditions, the worst anyone can imagine. We will share that information with you if and only if you choose not to defend yourselves.’”
The Post’s report cited four individuals “familiar” with the offers made by the Biden administration. In addition to the intelligence, Biden also promised shelters for Israel to construct tent cities and assistance with the delivery of food, water and medicine, the outlet claimed.
This offer comes as Israel prepares to target Hamas terrorists in Rafah, the southern part of Gaza, where most Palestinians fled after the Gaza government invaded Israel on Oct. 7.
In response, the Israeli military has launched an forceful military operation to rescue hostages taken by Hamas.
However, Biden is desperately attempting to block Israel from entering Rafah, likely fearing it could be politically damaging for his re-election campaign.
Biden’s actions against Israel have been so extreme that he even blocked the shipment of military weapons, an act that many suggest could constitute an impeachable offense by Democratic standards, similar to their claims during the 2019 impeachment of then-President Donald Trump.
Despite the pressure campaign from Biden against Israel, the war was instigated by Hamas following their brutal onslaught against civilians on Oct. 7, a fact underscored by Lee.
“We are revictimizing the victim nation here,” he said, alluding to Israel. “This is terrible. And, again, yet another reason why Joe Biden is unfit for office, and Americans need to elect Donald Trump.”
