During Donald Trump’s victorious 2016 presidential campaign, one of his talking points was that Americans were “tired of winning.” Liberals love to taunt MAGA Republicans by asking whether they are sick of winning. On the other hand, President Joe Biden can’t seem to win over his own party’s members on important foreign policy and national security matters.
In recent weeks, Biden has taken the heat for what appears to be yet another diplomatic gaffe on his own. This is what we have learned thus far.
Biden Administration Authorizes Waivers Releasing Iranian Oil Revenue
Foreign policy issues were discussed at a press conference held by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on September 12. Among them was Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s decision to sign several waivers related to billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenues held in South Korean financial institutions.
Miller verified that Blinken signed a document allowing the South Korean banks in question to transfer the money to accounts under Qatari possession or control. The funds would initially pass through financial institutions in Europe.
Qatari officials said they would only give Iran the money if it was used for humanitarian aid. If funds were to be transferred from Qatari accounts to Iranian companies, they would be subject to oversight by the Treasury Department.
Miller said the waivers were approved by the Biden administration in exchange for the release of five Americans who had been “wrongfully imprisoned in Iran.”
Democrats and Republicans Blast Biden Administration Over Its Controversial Deal
The “fierce blowback” that the Biden administration received for proposing to exchange Iranian oil wealth for hostages was detailed in a piece published by The Hill on September 13. For instance, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democrat Bob Menendez of New Jersey, has criticized President Biden for allegedly encouraging hostile nations to kidnap Americans.
There’s NO downside for dictatorships, like Iran or Russia, to take Americans hostage.
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) September 12, 2023
With Biden, these regimes always get a good deal in the end and that's why they'll keep doing it. pic.twitter.com/8Vk5FGldjk
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) echoed that sentiment. During a recent appearance on Fox Business, he trashed Biden for removing any “downside” for authoritarian countries like Russia and Iran from kidnapping American citizens and holding them hostage to advance their treacherous goals. Waltz warned that those “regimes always get a good deal” with Biden, and “that is why they’ll keep” taking Americans hostage.
The Republican senator from Utah, Mitt Romney, shares this assessment of the disastrous Iran deal made by the Biden administration. He stated the obvious, saying that kidnappings would continue as long as the United States “paid a billion dollars” for each captive. He also brought up American policy of not engaging in talks with terrorists.
Former President Donald Trump also bashed Biden on his Truth Social page, calling him an “incompetent fool” hellbent on “destroying America. “Can you believe… [that] Biden is giving $6 billion to [Iran’s] terrorist regime?” he rhetorically asked.
