Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calling him "irresponsible" for not laying the blame on Iran for the deadly Hamas terrorist attack in Israel that has left hundreds dead.
The GOP lawmaker's remarks referenced the $6 billion in funds that were recently freed for Iran as part of a prisoner swap deal with the United States. The former South Carolina governor and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations made the comments during an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Nikki Haley Criticizes Antony Blinken
She responded to Blinken's previous comments that the $6 billion fund could not have contributed to terrorism and that the U.S. has "yet to see evidence" that Iran supported the assault on Israel.
Haley said that both Hamas and Iran know that they are moving money around because they know for a fact that $6 billion is going to be released soon. Blinken previously said that it was very unfortunate that some people were playing politics during a time when so many lives have been lost amid continued attacks, as per Fox News.
The secretary of state added that the billions of dollars in funds from that account could only be used for medical supplies, food, and medicine. However, Haley claimed that it was ignorant to believe that the money could not be moved around and used for other means.
So far, the Hamas attacks have killed more than 600 Israelis and injured at least 2,000 others as fighters from both sides continue to battle on Sunday. The Republican presidential candidate also laid blame on United States President Joe Biden's administration and its foreign policy in the Middle East.
She noted that it was wrong to go and have that "debacle in Afghanistan" and that it was a mistake to waive sanctions on Iran that gave them even more funding. Haley argued that money has continued to flow into Iran and that this was the problem because she claimed that when Iran gets money, it uses it for hate.
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Hamas Attack on Israel
On Saturday, candidates for the GOP's 2024 nomination started pointing fingers at the Biden administration for the deadly attack on Israel. Many of them have insinuated, without evidence, that the assault was funded by the $6 billion funds that the U.S. freed for Iran, according to NBC News.
Haley also claimed that during her time as the U.S. ambassador to the UN, she went to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and heard that funds that the Obama administration authorized for Iran were sent to militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said that the recent terrorism is being funded by Biden's release of the $6 billion fund to Iran. He added that the Hamas war against Israel is now the second war that has been started under the Demorcrat's failed presidency.
Additionally, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that while the money cannot be used for terrorism, he said that money is fungible. He said that the funds empowered some "really, really bad people," said the New York Post.
