Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said lower chamber lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., misplaced her indignation over Israel's "carefully crafted" pager attack on Hezbollah terrorists, telling Newsmax on Thursday she doesn't remember AOC being this concerned for Israeli citizens killed and kidnapped on Oct. 7.
AOC criticized Israel on Wednesday for its targeted attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying that it "clearly and unequivocally violates international humanitarian law."
"My response is, cry me a river, AOC. These are known terrorists. They are all connected to terrorist organizations. There are no innocents out there that are juggling these pagers," Ernst said on "National Report." "It was a carefully crafted operation, and I say kudos to the Israelis."
While it took AOC one day to condemn Israel this week, it took her two days to release a statement denouncing the Hamas attack on Israel last year, a statement that also called for an "immediate cease-fire."
"And where is AOC in condemning the Oct. 7 attack that drug thousands of people out of their homes, at a music festival, drug them around, raped innocent women, killed babies? Where is she standing up for their civil rights?" Ernst asked. "We still have, we believe, four Americans that are alive being held by Hamas.
"We have three that are deceased being held by Hamas. This is a terrorist organization. I would say cut them no slack.
"Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamic Palestinian jihad, the Houthis, they are coming after you. So again, be aware of your surroundings. You will never be safe, not ever again."
Ernst also addressed the civilian casualties in the pager attacks, including two children.
"It's a tragedy. And yet this is a reason that people need to stay away from these terrorists. Give them wide berth because they are going down," Ernst said.
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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