Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has consistently called out President Joe Biden, his administration, and the president's fellow Democrats for their increasingly anti-Israel stance since the October 7 attack that Hamas perpetrated against our ally in the Middle East On Monday's episode of "The Verdict," Cruz made some of his harshest comments yet, especially in light of the news that Biden has been leveraging support and information for Israel by insisting they not launch an operation in Rafah.
During the podcast, Cruz recalled his outrage towards Biden's anti-Israel position, and how it's not been a recent thing. "I actually don't think Joe Biden has changed much," Cruz said about the president's anti-Israel views, from when he was senator in 1982 looking to cut off aid to Israel, as well as vice president during the Obama administration. Speaking of which, Cruz pointed out how former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates said "Joe Biden has been wrong on every foreign policy issue for 40 years."
"That's just the reality... give us an enemy, and Joe Biden wants to show weakness to that enemy, appease that enemy, and send them billions of dollars," Cruz continued. "I do not understand what goes through the mind of a leftist, who to use the classic phrase from 'The Simpsons' is a cheese-eating surrender monkey." The senator then went on to highlight examples of how the Biden administration has given money to our enemies. "If you're an enemy of America, count on Joe Biden and the Democrats to be Santa Clause and come with cash. If you're our friend, count on them doing what they're doing to Israel," Cruz continued to insist. "Which is blackmail you and starve you!"
As co-host Ben Ferguson put it then, "so, in other words, what you're saying is Joe Biden basically is a guy that's been anti-Israel when it really matters. And when he politically needed to act like he was pro-Israel," he did so. This includes his 2019 appearance on "PBS New Hour," the year he was conveniently running in the Democratic presidential primary.
Responding to the position of some fellow Democrats, Biden said it would be a "tragic mistake" to withdraw aid to Israel over their settlement policy," adding "I strongly oppose Israel's settlement policy on the West Bank. I've made that clear to [Prime Minister] Bibi [Netanyahu] when I was vice president, I made it crystal clear to the Israelis. But the idea that we would cut off military aid to an ally, our only true, true ally in the entire region, is absolutely preposterous. It's just beyond my comprehension that anyone would do that."
"Well, that's what he just did," Cruz and Ferguson both reminded after the clip was played, though.
Adding insult to injury is what Cruz pointed out Biden did the day before revealing he would cut off aid to Israel. "He issued a sanctions waiver to allow arms sales to Qatar, Lebanon, and Iraq," the senator pointed out, explaining how we're talking about "Hamas ally Qatar," which is "where the Hamas leadership is headquartered. And there are right now sanctions on weapons sales to countries that boycott Israel. And the Biden administration very quietly, waived those sanctions in order for the administration to sell weapons to Qatar, Lebanon and Iraq, the day before they cut off arms, arms transfers to Israel."
A column from Allen West published to Townhall on Monday made such a reference. "What kind of American president takes the side of alliance with a terrorist organization over an ally...all the while signing and providing support and arms to Iran, Qatar, and Fatah (just a slick suit-wearing jihadist organization)?," West wondered.
Cruz explained further how this is a big deal. "Well, it is U.S. law, that if a country boycotts Israel, we cannot sell weapons to them. Many sanction laws are written with a presidential waiver written into them. Well, what Biden just did is waived that sanction law," he said.
He also explained how at "the beginning of the Biden administration, there was a dispute over whether or not to send hundreds of millions of dollars to Gaza." Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), who is running against Cruz as he seeks reelection this November, was among those supporting aid. "I joined with a total of 19 Senators urging the administration don't do it. And I said early on, if you send hundreds of millions of dollars to Gaza, it will go to Hamas. Why do I know that? Well, for one thing, Hamas is the government of Gaza. They are the elected leadership of Gaza. They control Gaza. There is a decade's long history of aid going into Gaza being directly diverted by Hamas and used for terrorism," Cruz continued.
The senator came armed with examples. "Look, the international world would send in things like money to rebuild schools, and they take the concrete they build underground tunnels to from which to conduct terror. They'd send in water pipes, so you could put in fresh water and sewage. And Hamas would seize the water pipes, cut it into portions and turn it into missiles, use the water pipe, seal it on both ends, cut it off, and turn it into rockets to fire into Israel. Hamas’ obsession is with murdering as many Jews as possible. And so I urged the Biden administration 'don't send money to Gaza.' [Former President Donald] Trump had cut it off, I urged Trump to cut it off. And he did. When Biden came in it was clear they wanted to and so I urged him not to. There were a group of about 150 House Democrats on the other side that urged Biden to send money to Gaza. This is early on long before October 7th, even though it was clear that money would be used by Hamas for terrorism." Cruz pointed out.
Sure enough, Cruz continued, it was indeed "highly likely that the any money they sent would be used by Hamas and diverted for terrorism," as determined internally by the Biden administration. While that ought to have been the end of the inquiry, Cruz pointed out, the presidential waiver was used.
"So what did they do? They waved the anti-terrorism laws and said, 'well, we don't care if it's used for terrorism, this is our political agenda, and so we're going to send the money anyway,'" Cruz shared further as a way to highlight how problematic Biden has been in the Israel-Hamas conflict. "And just look at the contrast, why do they want to send money and weapons to nations that support Hamas, and they want to cut off weapons to Israel that is fighting Hamas? Give me a conclusion other than the obvious conclusion that this administration, and the Democrats," he sad, referring to a press conference last week, when he mentioned "the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party." Returning to that label, he asked Ferguson "what upside down crazy ass world are we living in that there is a pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party?!"
Ferguson was not only in agreement, but pointed out it was a wing "that is substantial and growing."
Cruz candidly pointed out "I don't want to engage in hyperbole, I don't want to like, normally, you know, no respectable normal political party in the United States would support terrorists who commit mass murder and rape and seek the genocide of the Jewish people. You would think that that would be understandably, you know, outside of the ordinary bounds of political discourse. And yet, there is a very real and growing pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party." It comes back to Biden. "And the sad thing is, Joe Biden's policies name a person on planet Earth, whose policies have benefited Hamas more than Joe Biden? And let's be clear, it's not Biden alone. It's easy to say 'oh, Biden's the problem,'" but he's not acting alone.
While Cruz gave a shout out to Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), for his pro-Israel stance, including with such a move from Biden, he looks to be an exception. "Name a Democrat, other than John Fetterman, who has shown even a tiny modicum of courage to call out the administration and say 'this is wrong, stop sending money to Iran stop sending money to Hamas, stop boycotting Israel.' The entire Democratic caucus in the Senate is terrified to cross the Biden White House and the pro-Hamas contingent of the party," Cruz laid out. Fetterman "deserves a lot of credit for standing up to his party because he's obviously out there by himself," Ferguson concurred.
Fetterman may deserve such praise, that he looks to be an exception reflects a particularly sad state for the Democratic Party. "Yes, undoubtedly. I don't know where that has come from. It is not something I predicted when he was elected. But I will give him credit," Cruz said. "But the fact that he's standing up, one of the things that striking is just how alone he is. Where is anybody else?"
Insanity: Biden Boycotts Israel, Funds Hamas. @benfergusonshow and I break it all down on Verdict. Available wherever you get your podcasts.https://t.co/DgSUKdIVbP
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 13, 2024