Over the weekend, Hamas attacked Israel, making October 7 the bloodiest day in the country's history and one that killed the most Jews since the end of the Holocaust. Given the support that Hamas had from Iran, many have called out the Biden administration for its move to provide the country with $6 billion--a decision that was announced on September 11--as part of a prisoner swap. As the money has reportedly not actually gone to Iran yet, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has called on President Joe Biden to void the agreement and freeze the payments.
The senator posted about the crisis in the Middle East several times over her X account over the weekend, with multiple posts addressing the funds. That wasn't all she did, though. On Monday, Blackburn circulated a letter to her fellow senators asking that they be co-signers to calling on the president to freeze the payments. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is CC'ed on the letter.
If the funds have not been released to Iran, President Biden should immediately void the agreement and freeze the $6 billion ransom payment. https://t.co/4fNRbQAm46
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) October 8, 2023
The letter, which Townhall obtained a copy of, emphasizes the United States' support for Israel, as well as makes note of the death toll. Americans have been confirmed to be among those taken captive and killed, the letter also notes.
The letter is also clear in calling out Iran, though, and stressing a need to put a stop to the payments. "Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, and Wall Street Journal reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps worked with Hamas to plan the ongoing attacks on Israel. These horrific attacks come on the heels of the State Department issuing sanctions waivers for Iranian funds held in South Korean accounts to be converted from won to euros and then transferred to bank accounts in Qatar," the letter points out.
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What follows is a crucial rebuttal to those who would claim that the money hasn't been spent yet, and/or that it can only be used for humanitarian purposes.
"To stand by and allow Iran access to these funds as Hamas infiltrates Israel and murders, rapes, and mutilates countless Israelis is unconscionable. Your administration claims these funds are only available for humanitarian use, but money is fungible, and there is a significant risk they could be used to further efforts by Iran or Hamas against Israel," the letter goes on to point out with added emphasis. "Moreover, allowing $6 billion to flow into Iran’s economy, even if the purpose is for humanitarian aid, allows the Iranian regime to reallocate even more funds to supporting terrorism. Oversight over the use of this $6 billion is not enough, and the oversight mechanism is crippled by your reported decision to pull the longstanding Treasury attaché from Qatar. The State Department should immediately rescind the waivers that allowed Iranian funds to be converted and moved to more accessible bank accounts, as well as work with U.S. ally Qatar to immediately freeze the accounts containing these funds," it continues, once more with added emphasis.
The Biden adminstration, fellow Democrats, and their allies in the mainstream media have accused those of daring to bring up the $6 billion of engaging in "disinformation," even going after sitting members of Congress in social media posts.
Blinken himself acknowledged during his Sunday interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that "Iran has, unfortunately, always used and focused its funds on supporting terrorism, on supporting groups like Hamas. And it's done that when there have been sanctions. It's done that when there haven't been sanctions. And it's always prioritized that."
He had been directly asked by host Kristen Welker "what do you say about the argument that money is fungible, so Iran may have known this money is coming and used other funds to help fund this attack that happened?" In order words, he provided their point.
Iranian leaders have also declared they will put the money to use "wherever we need it."
In conclusion, Blackburn's letter issues a steep warning about what will happen if the funds go through. "We must stand with Israel and restrict access to these Iranian funds. Iran should be placed under the most stringent sanctions admissible. Anything short of this is unacceptable and only aids in the ability of Iran and Hamas to fund these heinous acts," it closes with.
.@townhallcom received a look at a letter circulated by @MarshaBlackburn calling on @POTUS to void the agreement to Iran and freeze the $6B in funds.
— Rebecca Downs (@RebeccaRoseGold) October 10, 2023
Check out the letter and read my latest! https://t.co/unGbQoiEgg pic.twitter.com/ndM9O8TGAM
Blackburn provided a statement for Townhall as well. "President Biden is refusing to freeze the $6 billion ransom payment to Iran because he is afraid to admit it was catalyst for the attacks. He still has time to limit the damage. Enough politics. President Biden should freeze the $6 billion now," she said.
The letter, as of Monday night, is so far signed by 20 senators in total. In addition to Blackburn, the co-signers include Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Steve Daines (R-MT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Thune (R-SD), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mike Braun (R-IN), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Ted Budd (R-NC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS).
Townhall reached out to the other Republican senators who serve with Blackburn on the Senate Committee on Finance earlier on Monday and was able to confirm the support from Tillis, Daines, Thune, and Lankford.
Daines also provided Townhall with a statement. "Just weeks ago the Biden Administration paid out billions of dollars to Iran and this weekend we are witnessing the Iranian-backed terror group Hamas carry out horrific acts on the Israeli people. It is disturbing to think that money supplied by the U.S. could be going towards a war against our ally Israel. These funds must be frozen immediately," he said.
What to do about the funds is also coming up in next year's Senate race for Pennsylvania, with Dave McCormick running as a Republican to challenge Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr. On Monday, McCormick sent his own letter to Casey, urging him to join in on calling on Biden to freeze the funds, or introduce legislation to do so if Biden himself will not.
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