Tipsheet

Iran's Attack on Israel Was 'Paid for by the Biden Administration,' Ted Cruz Reminds

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  April 15, 2024 6:45 PM

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has been vocal in his support for Israel and condemnation of Iran, especially in light of the attack from over the weekend. He's also been quite clear in reminding of the role that President Joe Biden has played in this recent attack.

The attack was the focus of Monday's edition of "The Verdict," with co-host Ben Ferguson pointing out "unfortunately, this [attack] was predictable, especially since the United States of America had taken its hand off of Israel, with the Biden administration leading the way on that."

While Cruz pointed out most of the missiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome, we're still witnessing "the first direct attack on Israel from Iran in history," an "extraordinary escalation of what has been going on." The senator was clear who is at fault here, as "this tragically is the result of the Biden Foreign Policy of Appeasement and the entire Democrat Party backing away from Israel and sending billions of dollars to Iran. In a very real sense, the missiles that are Iran fired at Israel, were paid for by the Biden administration." 

The senator also laid out how "at this point, the safety and security of the men and women in Israel, the men and women in the Middle East, and potentially more broadly, are all in jeopardy, as the world waits with bated breath to see what happens next."

Ferguson mentioned how the Biden administration is not enforcing the economic sanctions against Iran, as well as how direct access to cash has also been allowed. "How much money do they have now because of Biden's policies," he asked.

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While Cruz responded "it is well over $100 billion," there's "sadly" more than the two examples Ferguson mentioned. "From the beginning, the Biden administration has simultaneously flooded our enemies with cash. Their approach to every enemy of America, from day one, has been appeasement, and usually in the form of billions of dollars. And simultaneously, they have undermined our friends and allies, and especially Israel, again from day one," the senator said. 

There's $16 billion "in direct funds," which includes the $6 billion as ransom for five Americans, announced on the anniversary of September 11. A few months later, the Biden administration unfroze $10 billion by extending a waiver sanction for funds frozen in Iraq. 

The senator also discussed "refusing to enforce oil sanctions," which are "the biggest component." As Cruz revealed, they've "caused Iranian oil exports to skyrocket" in "an excess of $80 billion." 

But, it goes even further. "You have to understand the Biden administration has lifted sanctions on Iran's proxies on the Houthis in Yemen, who were funded by Iran," Cruz also reminded. "If you look at Gaza, and Hamas, the one that carried out the October 7 terror attack... over 90 percent of [Hamas'] funding comes from Iran."

As Cruz reminded, Biden and his fellow Democrats have been preoccupied about Gaza for some time, as Biden "sent hundreds of millions of dollars into Gaza that went directly into the hands of Hamas, that, in all likelihood was used to finance some or all of the October 7 terror attack. The same thing is true with flooding money into Lebanon, much of which ends up in the hands of Hezbollah... over 90 percent of its budget comes from Iran."

There's even more, though. "On top of that, even more amazingly, the Biden administration allowed the UN sanctions, the international sanctions on missiles in Iran to expire. They did this in the midst of Iran funding Hamas, funding Hezbollah, funding October 7, and launching over 100 attacks on US servicemen and women," the senator explained. 

Despite the October 7 attack, in which Americans were also killed and taken hostage, the Biden administration keeps "shoveling cash to this theocratic, lunatic Ayatollah." 

When it comes to the Iran deal, Cruz pointed out that we don't know if Iran has a nuclear weapon, though he believes "they are very, very close" if they don't already have one. That would be because of Biden.

"They are very, very close because Joe Biden has flooded so much cash into them, to put them in a position to have this kind of money," Cruz pointed out. Furing the Trump administration, when President Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, which was absolutely the right thing to do, at the time, Iran was exporting roughly a million barrels of oil a day. When Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, he kept in place an oil waiver. That waiver allowed Iran to continue selling a million barrels a day of oil," which Cruz "thought that was an enormous mistake." Cruz thus repeatedly pressed then President Donald Trump to end the waivers, which he did by overruling then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 

"And it turns out, we now know that the Department of Energy was right, and the State [Department] was wrong... Joe Biden came into office and almost immediately, he stopped enforcing those oil sanctions. And again, almost immediately, as a direct result, Iran's oil sanctions skyrocketed," Cruz explained.

The senator also revealed that at the time of October 7, Iran's oil production was at two million barrels a day, which is "more than double what it had been before the oil waivers were ended, nearly eight times, seven times, what they were when Biden came into office." In April 2024, they're now at 3.4 million barrels a day. 

Since embargoes are not being enforced, Iran is earning "easily an excess of $100 billion," Cruz pointed out. Even with how Cruz believes they're selling oil to the Chinese at a discount, he further reminded of Biden's role in that "this is easily $100 billion that Joe Biden just handed to the Ayatollah." 

Cruz then launched into another talking point he has frequently brought up when discussing the need to support Israel, which is the role that Biden's fellow Democrats play in going along with this administration. "And, and I will tell you, it is not just Biden," Cruz pointed out, referring to "one of the most important points."

He argued that "the problem is not the fringe," but rather "the problem is the so-called mainstream Democrats, the problem is Joe Biden, the problem is Chuck Schumer, the problem is Nancy Pelosi."

The senator reminded how following the October 7 attack, Cruz recently forced a vote on the Senate floor that bars the Biden administration from sending those billions of dollars to Iran, something he argued "should be easy, [since] Iran funded October 7, Iran is still actively trying to kill us servicemen and women, Iran is still trying to actively murder former U.S. senior officials." While Cruz forced a vote, he highlighted how "every single Democrat, all of them except Bob Menendez, every Democrat but one voted no, they voted to continue sending Iran billions of dollars."

Ferguson also brought up the response from the anti-Israel United Nations, with the Security Council demanding that Israel show restraint. He also pointed to an Axios report on how the U.S. won't support Israel's counterattack against Iran, calling it "unfortunately not shocking."

"It's very clear now, actions speak louder than words, and this president and the Biden administration and their foreign policy is: 'Israel bad, everybody else can do what they want to do,'" Ferguson continued, wanting to know what the response will be in Washington. 

"Well, the Biden administration's message and the message of every Democrat in Congress is there is no military solution for our allies. But our enemies are allowed to win. Our enemies are allowed to attack, and attack, and attack, and our allies have to do nothing about it," Cruz summarized.

The senator also discussed the funding of Iran in another infuriating manner. "Understand the money that they flood to Iran, you know who they're not flooding money to? Israel." Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has blocked votes on Israel and refuses to consider it unless it's tied to providing funding for Ukraine, which many Republicans have criticized. 

As Cruz also discussed in a previous podcast, he forced a vote for aid in November, the same day as the March for Israel march. Every single Democrat voted against it, despite how many of them spoke in support of Israel at that event.

The senator also highlighted how he responded Schumer for his post claiming to support Israel.

"Well, talk's cheap. Are you willing to fund the response? And we know that Biden's answer is at least as is being widely reported, as he told Netanyahu, 'do not attack, do not strike back. Take the win,' he said," which Cruz stressed as "bizarre." 

"Can you imagine? In America, if somebody fired 300 missiles in America and some foreign leader called up the U.S. president [and] said 'hey, take the win, the missiles you guys were able to intercept them, so people didn't die. Just say, woo-hooo, we’re fine and do nothing.' I mean, that's, that's what Biden is saying to Israel," the senator illustrated. Ferguson and Cruz both highlighted how this appears to be a narrative from Biden, Schumer, and other Democrats, who want to keep sending Iran money.

"I genuinely do not understand it. It's pathological," Cruz stressed. When someone chants 'death to America' and 'death to Israel.' my reaction is not I'm going to send you money. That apparently is Joe Biden's reaction, Chuck Schumer's reaction, that apparently is Nancy Pelosi’s reaction, and that's every other Democrats reaction. I don't get that."

This demand that Israel not defend itself has been in place since October 7, with Cruz reminding how the Biden State Department and Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared now deleted posts for Israel to not retaliate. 

The Biden administration's narrative has been in favor of a ceasefire, and they again call on Israel not to retaliate against Iran. The senator emphasized such a take was "asinine."

Cruz also previewed a markup in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and how he's filed Iran-related amendments. The House is similarly taking up such Iran-related legislation. However, Cruz doesn't have much faith in Democrats. "I gotta tell you, I think I know what's gonna happen. We're gonna see the Democrats vote against those amendments, because their position is, no matter how much you hate America, no matter how many Jews you kill, no matter how many Americans you kill, we the Democrats will keep sending you money."

Since the podcast was recorded and released, Katie has covered how Israel has decided to ignore Biden's demands that they don't respond. Israel will respond "Clearly and Decisively" against Iran.