Republican lawmakers and other critics admonished President Joe Biden for offering "official condolences" to Iran following the death of "The Butcher of Tehran," President Ebrahim Raisi.
The U.S. State Department announced its condolences within hours of Raisi's sudden death in a weekend helicopter crash.
Raisi, 63, was one of the main architects of a 1988 massacre in Iran that killed around 5,000 regime opponents. In December, he blasted the U.S. for supporting "the Zionist regime's crimes against humanity in Gaza," The Washington Free Beacon reported.
Since taking office in August 2021, Raisi ordered a tightening of hijab and chastity laws restricting women's dress and behavior, oversaw a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks.
"Under the 'Butcher of Tehran,' Iran armed and assisted terrorists with American blood on their hands," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., posted on X.
"Offering condolences for the death of this monster is a disgrace."
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., ripped Biden for appeasing U.S. enemies.
"It's shameful that President Biden's Administration would offer condolences for the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi – an evil tyrant who spent years repressing and butchering innocent people," Fleischmann posted on X.
"Biden's foreign policy is to appease our enemies while abandoning our allies."
Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, said Raisi was an "architect" of terrorism.
"Raisi was a murderous autocrat who brutally repressed the people of Iran," Fallon wrote on X.
"He was the architect of Iran's state sponsorship of terrorism and does not deserve NATO & the free world's condolences."
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman said Biden offering condolences to Iran for Raisi was "crazy."
"This is crazy. What is going on?" Ackman wrote on X. "Did we send condolences to Germany when Hitler died?"
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, slammed Biden for failing to lead with "moral clarity."
"Today's statement by @StateDept offering 'official condolences' after #Iran's regime's president's death is a symptom of a larger problem," Brodsky posted on X. "The Biden administration's Iran policy is adrift. Its attempt to keep the issue off the president's desk often results in a policy which lacks the necessary energy, creativity, and initiative. It is defined by an extreme and irrational risk-aversion. It tries to appease everyone at the same time – the regime included – and shoots itself in the foot time and again. The U.S. needs to lead with moral clarity. Today it did not do so."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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