Republican 2024 presidential candidates blamed the Biden administration for the attacks Hamas terrorists launched against Israel on Saturday, pointing to the deadly developments as evidence of U.S. weakness on the world stage and claiming that the administration is partly responsible.
Several of them insisted, without evidence, that the U.S. funded the attacks by suggesting that $6 billion in oil revenue that the Biden administration recently unfroze as a result of a prisoner exchange with Iran, which has historically funded Hamas, was used to carry them out.
"These Hamas attacks are a disgrace and Israel has every right to defend itself with overwhelming force. Sadly, American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks, which many reports are saying came from the Biden Administration," former President Donald Trump said in a statement.
Trump, who has been leading the GOP primary pack, added that his administration brought "so much peace to the Middle East through the Abraham Accords, only to see Biden whittle it away at a far more rapid pace than anyone thought possible. Here we go again."
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who's running for president, said in a statement, “This is what happens when America’s president projects weakness on the world stage, kowtows to the mullahs in Iran with a $6 Billion ransom, and leaders in the Republican Party signal American retreat as Leader of the Free World. Weakness arouses Evil."
In remarks at the beginning of an event in Glenwood, Iowa, on Saturday morning, Pence responded blamed both Biden and Republicans, who he said are "signaling retreat on the world stage."
The Biden administration rebutted the GOP criticism, saying the $6 billion in oil revenue to which Iran regained access recently did not come from U.S. taxpayer dollars.
"All of the money held in restricted accounts in Doha as part of the arrangement to secure the release of 5 Americans in September remains in Doha. Not a penny has been spent," Treasury Undersecretary Brian Nelson tweeted. "These restricted funds cannot go to Iran — it can only be used for future humanitarian-related purposes. Any suggestion to the contrary is false and misleading."
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson also said in a post on X that none of the money has been spent yet.
"I can’t comment on 2024 because of the Hatch Act. But I can clarify the facts: Not a single cent from these funds has been spent, and when it is spent, it can only be spent on things like food and medicine for the Iranian people. These funds have absolutely nothing to do with the horrific attacks today and this is not the time to spread," she wrote. (The Hatch Act restricts executive branch officials’ political activities.)
A senior administration official said: "The ability to use these funds in Qatar will be tied directly to payment for bona fide humanitarian items — food, agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical devices only — requests vetted and approved by Qatari banks and their European correspondents, who are themselves committed to sanctions compliance. No funds go into Iran — ever. These funds will be used solely to provide essential humanitarian support to the Iranian people, with payment to vetted third-party vendors."
Another presidential contender, Vivek Ramaswamy, said on X: "America’s broken foreign policy establishment knew they were funding Hamas & went ahead with it anyway. The unprecedented $6BN in ransom paid to Iran last month worsened it: our taxpayer dollars are funding Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. This will end on Day 1 of my administration."
Despite the reassurances from the White House about the limits Iran would be under with the money, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in an interview in Tehran that his government would decide how it would spend the $6 billion.
Qatar’s central bank is overseeing the funds, which Iran can use only for humanitarian purposes, as allowed by U.S. sanctions, U.S. officials have said.
But Raisi said in the interview that Iran would have “authority” over how the money would be spent. “This money belongs to the Iranian people, the Iranian government, so the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide what to do with this money,” he said, according to an Iranian government translator.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was extremely critical of President Joe Biden, faulting him for not only Hamas' attacks on Israel but also Russia's attacks against Ukraine.
"Biden’s appeasement of Israel’s enemies has invited this war against Israel," Christie said on X. "Appeasement anywhere never works. We must do whatever it takes to support the State of Israel in its time of grave danger, and we must end the scourge of Iran-backed terrorism. This terrorism is funded by Biden’s idiotic release of $6 billion to the Iranians.
"The Hamas war against Israel is now the second war started under Biden’s failed presidency, first by Russia in Ukraine and now by Hamas in Israel," he added.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a similar post on X: "Israel is now under attack by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists. Iran has helped fund this war against Israel and Joe Biden’s policies that have gone easy on Iran have helped fill their coffers. We are going to stand with Israel as they root out Hamas and we need to stand up to Iran."
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, another GOP candidate, said in a statement that the attacks are an "assault on Western Civilization."
"The truth is though, Joe Biden funded these attacks on Israel," Scott said. "America’s weakness is blood in the water for bad actors, but this is worse than that. We didn’t just invite this aggression, we paid for it. Iran is the biggest funder of Hamas. This is the Biden $6 billion ransom payment at work."
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, was the only Republican who didn't explicitly blame the Biden administration. "Hamas is a bloodthirsty terrorist organization backed by Iran and determined to kill as many innocent lives as possible. The reports out of Israel are horrific with a stunning number of dead and wounded and should be universally condemned. Israel has every right to defend its citizens from terror," she said in a statement.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on X that the attacks are "symbolic of the times we find ourselves in with weak leadership in the White House."
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum blamed Biden on X, writing that Iran pays for the terrorism against Israel. He said the U.S. "must provide maximum support to our democratic ally."
CORRECTION (Oct. 8, 2023, 6:50 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated Asa Hutchinson’s previous position. He is a former governor of Arkansas, not the current governor.
