The White House on Monday condemned Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel for calling the terror attacks in Israel a “great opportunity” for Republican candidates to underscore their support for Israel.
“At least nine Americans have lost their lives in these brutal terrorist attacks against the State of Israel. Hundreds of additional innocent people are dead. While apparently some individuals like Ronna McDaniel consider this loss of life and pain a ‘great opportunity,’ most Americans see it as a horrific tragedy,” deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement.
“As the administration provides assistance to the Israeli Defense Force, this is a moment in which all Americans, regardless of political views, should stand shoulder to shoulder with one of our closest allies,” Mr. Bates continued. “No one can ever welcome this kind of hideous behavior or try to divide our country when we need to be united.”
During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Ms. McDaniel was asked about the Republican presidential candidates blaming President Biden’s foreign policy for the brutal violence between Israel and Hamas and expressing support for Israel.
“This is a great opportunity for our candidates to contrast where Republicans have stood with Israel time and time again and Joe Biden has been weak,” she said.
In a statement, the RNC accused the White House of twisting Ms. McDaniel’s words to score political points.
“The RNC and Chairman McDaniel have long been fierce advocates for Israel [and] its people and condemned the attacks immediately. It’s despicable that the media is twisting Chairman McDaniel’s words and providing cover for Democrats that have repeatedly attacked Israel’s right to exist,” RNC Spokesperson Emma Vaughn said in a statement Monday.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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