Tom Cotton slams Biden for 'deliberately misleading the public' about withholding weapons from Israel

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., criticized President Joe Biden for what he said “deliberately misled the American people” regarding the administration's rhetoric regarding arms shipments to Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that the United States was withholding arms shipments to Israel, which the Biden administration denied, saying aid was flowing normally to Israel.

“Your administration engaged in bureaucratic sleight of hand to deny this crucial aid to Israel during a shooting war,” Cotton wrote in a letter to Biden.

The White House is required to inform Congress of foreign arms exports; However, the Biden administration has refused to formally notify Congress regarding deliveries to Israel, allowing the administration to claim that shipments are “in progress,” without ever ultimately being delivered, according to Cotton.

“You play politics with the nation's honor and the security of our allies in mind. Worse, your administration lacks the honesty in communicating its true policies to the American people, preferring to hide behind wild words and bureaucratic process.” , Cotton said.

Cotton called on the Biden administration to provide answers on weapons and munitions being held in Israel and the issues preventing the administration from expediting shipments as requested by Israel.

Netanyahu reiterated his concerns about arms shipments as recently as Sunday during a cabinet meeting, when he said there had been a “dramatic decline” in U.S. arms shipments, according to the Associated Press.

The reported drop in arms shipments comes as the Biden administration has faced months of pressure from the Democratic Party to end such shipments to Israel during its war with Hamas.

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