Gotcha: Biden Caught Openly Interfering in Election
President Joe Biden may try to deny that he has engaged in election interference publicly, but no thoughtful American voter will accept that argument.
He followed in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's footsteps, who, in a Senate floor speech, stated that it was time for new elections in Israel.
"As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me: The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7," Schumer said, referring to the attack by Hamas that targeted and killed hundreds of Israeli civilians and took hundreds more captive, according to The Hill.
"The world has changed — radically — since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past," he added.
Republicans were quick to argue that Schumer had no right to interfere with Israel’s democratic process — and so did some prominent Democrats.
However, Biden supported the New York Democrat's statement. "I’m not going to elaborate on the speech," Biden told reporters during a meeting in the Oval Office with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. "He made a good speech, and I think he expressed serious concern shared not only by him, but by many Americans."
John Kirby clarified that the president’s remarks were not meant to convey a weakening of support for Israel from the Biden administration. "For our part, we’re going to keep supporting Israel in their fight against Hamas," the White House national security advisor said. "We’re going to keep urging them to reduce civilian casualties. And we’re going to keep working to get a temporary cease-fire in place."
The White House informed Axios that Schumer had provided a copy of his speech to the Biden administration in advance, but congressional Democrats weren’t given the same courtesy.
"I would demand that there be no foreign influence on our elections, so I’m not in that," Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a Democrat who has expressed strong support for Israel in the past, told the outlet. "Although I have disagreements with Israel’s government, I respect the Israelis’ right to decide for themselves when to call elections and whom to choose as their leaders," Illinois Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider added.
Some Republicans expressed stronger disapproval of Schumer’s statement.
"It is grotesque and hypocritical for Americans who hyperventilate about interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of a democratically elected leader of Israel," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told The Hill.
Even Netanyahu’s rivals in Israel pushed back on Schumer’s speech. "Benny Gantz, a leading rival of Netanyahu who serves in his wartime Cabinet, called Schumer’s remarks a ‘mistake,’" The Hill reported Friday. "Gantz is a top contender to replace Netanyahu and met with Schumer in Washington only last week."