Republicans are slamming Joe Biden over a prisoner exchange with Iran and the release $6 billion in Iran’s money. But they won’t discuss Trump’s leak from 2017 at the Oval Office.
On May 10, 2017, at the White House, President Donald Trump meets with Sergey Lavrov( left ) and Sergei Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States. Republicans continue to ignore the documented harm done to Israel’s security by the de facto leader of their party, Donald Trump, as they attempt to link President Joe Biden ‘ release of$ 6 billion in frozen Egyptian money as part of a prisoner swap to the weekend terrorist attack on Israel. Less than four months into his term, the coup-attempting past president boasted about the caliber of the briefings he was receiving to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergei Kislyak during their visit to the Oval Office. He also provided information about a covert Israeli intelligence operation into Syria as proof. # 13 of the advertisement
Given Russia’s close ties to Iran and Syria, Israeli intelligence officials were furious to learn of the leak because they had to believe that their local source for the information had been compromised and perhaps killed, according to Jewish press accounts at the time. An Jewish intelligence source told journalist Ronen Bergman that if Trump did, in fact, leak information to the Russians out of ignorance or innocence, there is a serious threat to sources that took years to gather as well as to our working practices. In the 1990s, Shabtai Shavit, the head of the Mossad intelligence service, declared to the Times of Israel,” If tomorrow I were asked to give the CIA information, I would do everything in my power to prevent it from being given to them.” Despite this, none of the Republican candidates running against Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination have criticized him for his lack of discretion, despite the fact that they all criticize Biden for removing$ 6 billion in Iranian currency that had been held in a South Korean bank. Instead, I would first protect myself before giving it, and what I gave would be completely neutered. Their attacks connect that choice to the violent organization Hamas’ attack on Israel. # 13 of the advertisement
The release of the funds has been defended by the Biden administration as a means of assisting in the return of five American citizens who had been wrongfully detained in Iran. The funds can only be used for food, medicine, and other charitable purposes, according to officials. Republicans’ detractors contend that because money is malleable, Iran can spend$ 6 billion on terrorism rather than food and medicine. On Saturday, previous governor of New Jersey Within hours of Hamas’ attacks, Chris Christie accused Biden of funding terrorism, saying that” Biden’s idiotic release of$ 6 billion to the Iranians” was to blame. Florida Governor says that” Iran has helped fund this war against Israel and Joe Biden’s policies that have been lax on Iran have helped fill their coffers.” In a video he released on Sunday morning, Ron DeSantis stated. Later, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott wrote,” Israel is then paying the price for those policies. Biden’s weakness invited the attack.” The attack was funded by Biden’s negotiations. Following the attack, Biden admin wanted Israel to stand down. It’s unclear how the agreement to release funds to Iran for charitable purposes less than a month ago could have” funded” Hamas’ attack, which involved thousands of rockets that must have been stockpiled over the course of several months. At this point, Biden is involved. # 13 of the advertisement
Importantly, despite the fact that they are all running against him for the nomination and he is the current frontrunner by a large margin, none of the candidates’ statements criticized Trump for taking action that would weaken Israel. Only Christie’s campaign, out of the half a dozen that HuffPost contacted on the subject — among them, DeSantis, and Scott — replied, saying,” I’ve been pretty clear across the board that Trump shouldn’t be president again ,” according to campaign spokesman Karl Rickett. Additionally, HuffPost questions were no answered by Trump’s campaign. Trump informed Lavrov and Kislayak that he had recently fired FBI Director James Comey due to the agency’s investigation into his contacts with their nation prior to his 2016 election. Russian media covered the White House meeting on May 10, 2017, but never British media. Trump” revealed more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own allies ,” according to an administration official cited by The Washington Post, which first covered the incident. This intelligence was related to ISIS’s newly discovered ability to create bombs in laptop computers that could pass through airport screening. The information was obtained by Jewish intelligence services through a source who had broken into an ISIS cell in Syria, and it was confirmed by electric eavesdropping equipment that Israeli commandos had set up in an audacious nighttime mission. # 13 of the advertisement
As part of his boasts, Trump told the Russians — including the Syrian city where the operation took place— this. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois senator and military veteran who co-chaired the Biden campaign, said in a statement,” Donald Trump more proves he is too risky to lead the United States on the world stage.” ” Those in a position to know, the generals and other military leaders who served under Trump have repeatedly claimed that he did not increase or decrease the safety of our nation.” Since an Israeli agent obtained a secret speech Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had delivered denouncing Joseph Stalin’s brutality, U.S. intelligence agencies have collaborated closely with their Jewish counterparts for almost 70 years. Work against Iran and the different terror organizations in the Middle East has been a part of that cooperation in recent years. For instance, American and Israeli intelligence services collaborated to destroy Persian uranium-enrichment centrifuges covertly during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. Advertising &# 13,
However, due to Trump’s fondness for Soviet dictator Vladimir Putin and his ties to Iran and Syria, U.S. intelligence officials cautioned their Jewish colleagues just before Trump was inaugurated in January 2017 that they might want to be cautious about the intelligence they chose to share in the incoming administration. According to reports, Israeli officials were dubious about that warning before it was confirmed at an Oval Office meeting four months afterwards. Related Donald TrumpJoe Biden IranGOPIsraelBiden claims that at least 11 American citizens are confirmed to be among the deceased in Israel. McCarthy uses an Israeli attack as a justification for speaking again. What went wrong? Questions Arise Regarding Israel’s Intelligence Prowess Following Hamas Attack Republicans are piling on Joe Biden over the release of$ 6 billion in Iranian funds and a prisoner swap, but they won’t discuss Trump’s leak from the Oval Office in 2017.
Republicans are slamming Joe Biden over a prisoner exchange with Iran and the release $6 billion in Iran’s money. But they won’t discuss Trump’s leak from 2017 at the Oval Office.
President Donald Trump meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (left) and Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergei Kislyak at the White House on May 10, 2017.. Russian Foreign Ministry Photo via Associated Press. WASHINGTON – As Republicans try to link President Joe Biden’s release of $6 billion of frozen Iranian money as part of a prisoner swap to the weekend terrorist attack on Israel, they continue to ignore the documented damage done to that country’s security by the de facto leader of their party, Donald Trump.. Less than four months into his term, the coup-attempting former president was bragging to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergei Kislyak during their Oval Office visit about the quality of the briefings he was receiving, and as proof offered details about a secret Israeli intelligence operation into Syria.. Advertisement. Israeli intelligence officials were incensed upon learning of the leak because, given Russia’s close ties to Iran and Syria, they had to assume that their local source for the information had been compromised and possibly killed, according to Israeli press accounts at the time.. “If indeed Trump, out of innocence or ignorance, leaked information to the Russians, then there is a real danger to sources that it took years to acquire, and to our working methods,” an Israeli intelligence source told journalist Ronen Bergman.. Shabtai Shavit, who led the Mossad intelligence agency in the 1990s, told the Times of Israel: “If tomorrow I were asked to pass information to the CIA, I would do everything I could to not pass it to them. Or I would first protect myself and only then give it, and what I’d give would be totally neutered.”. Despite this, not one of the candidates running against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination has criticized Trump for his lack of discretion, even as they uniformly attack Biden for unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian money that had been held in a South Korean bank. Their attacks link that decision with the assault on Israel by the militant group Hamas.. Advertisement. The Biden administration has defended the release of the money as a way to help get five American citizens who had been unjustly detained in Iran back home. Officials point out that the money can only be spent for food, medicine and other humanitarian purposes. Republicans critics argue that money is fungible, and that saving $6 billion on food and medicine allows Iran to spend it on terrorism instead.. On Saturday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, within hours of Hamas’ attacks, blamed Biden: “This terrorism is funded by Biden’s idiotic release of $6 billion to the Iranians.”. “Iran has helped fund this war against Israel and Joe Biden’s policies that have gone easy on Iran have helped fill their coffers,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a video he released Sunday morning. “Israel is now paying the price for those policies.”. A little later, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott posted: “Biden’s weakness invited the attack. Biden’s negotiation funded the attack. Biden admin wanted Israel to stand down after the attack. At this point, Biden is complicit.”. It’s unclear how the agreement to release money to Iran for humanitarian purposes – not a dollar of which has yet been spent – less than a month ago could have “funded” Hamas’ attack, which involved thousands of rockets that must have been stockpiled over a period of many months.. Advertisement. Notably, none of the candidates’ statements criticized Trump for action weakening Israel – even though they are all running against him for the nomination, and he is the current frontrunner by a wide margin.. Of the half dozen campaigns contacted by HuffPost, Christie’s, DeSantis’ and Scott’s among them, on the matter, only Christie’s responded: “He’s been pretty clear across the board that Trump shouldn’t be president again,” said campaign spokesman Karl Rickett.. Trump’s campaign also did not respond to HuffPost queries.. The May 10, 2017, White House meeting was covered by Russian media, but not American media, and began with Trump telling Lavrov and Kislayak that he had just fired FBI Director James Comey over the agency’s investigation into his contacts with their country ahead of his 2016 election. The Washington Post, which first reported on the incident, quoted an administration official who said that Trump “revealed more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own allies.”. The intelligence concerned ISIS’ newfound ability to make bombs in laptop computers that could get through airport screening, which had led to a ban on people carrying laptops with them on flights coming from a number of Muslim countries.. The information had come via Israeli intelligence agencies through a source who had infiltrated an ISIS cell in Syria and which had been confirmed thanks to electronic eavesdropping equipment planted in a daring nighttime mission by Israeli commandos.. Advertisement. Trump revealed this to the Russians, including the Syrian city in which the operation took place, as part of his boasts.. “Donald Trump further proves he is too dangerous to lead the United States on the world stage,” Biden campaign co-chair Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois senator and military veteran, said in a statement. “The generals and other military leaders who served under Trump–those in a position to know–have repeatedly said he made our country less safe, not more.”. U.S. intelligence agencies have worked closely with their Israeli counterparts for nearly 70 years, since an Israeli agent got hold of a secret speech Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had delivered denouncing Joseph Stalin’s brutality.. In recent years, that cooperation has included work against Iran and the various terror groups in the Middle East.. The clandestine destruction of Iranian uranium-enrichment centrifuges undertaken during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, for example, was a joint venture between American and Israeli intelligence services.. Advertisement. But U.S. intelligence officials just before Trump’s inauguration in January 2017 warned their Israeli colleagues that they may want to be careful about what intelligence they chose to share in the coming administration, given Trump’s fondness for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Russia’s ties to Iran and Syria.. Israeli officials reportedly were skeptical about that warning – until the Oval Office meeting four months later proved it correct.. Related. Donald TrumpJoe Biden IranGOPIsrael. Biden Says At Least 11 American Citizens Confirmed Among Dead In Israel. McCarthy Uses Israel Attack As Pitch For Being Speaker Again. What Went Wrong? Questions Emerge Over Israel’s Intelligence Prowess After Hamas Attack
