Ricketts Slams Biden's Aid Withholding, Accuses Him of Strengthening Hamas

Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) has vehemently criticized President Biden for withholding weapons from Israel, claiming that the move has inadvertently "strengthened" the Hamas terror group. Ricketts compares the situation to Biden's handling of Afghanistan, accusing the administration of "absolutely mismanaging" the conflict.

Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) has launched a scathing attack on President Biden, accusing him of "strengthening" the Hamas terror group by withholding aid from Israel. During an appearance on FOX Report with Jon Scott, Ricketts expressed his outrage over the Biden administration's decision to withhold high payload bombs from Israel, claiming it "just demonstrates their incompetence."

Ricketts further criticized the administration's handling of the conflict, comparing it to Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. He accused the White House of "absolutely mismanaging this" and said they "don't know a credible plan if it came up and bit them on the behind."

The Republican senator argued that the president's decision to withhold offensive aid was playing into the hands of terrorists. He said, "Hamas was negotiating to come up with a cease fire to return the hostages. And then Biden announces he's going to withhold weapons. And Hamas is like, well, my hand has just been strengthened. Why would I negotiate now?"

Ricketts' criticism comes after Biden urged Israel's government not to carry out a ground invasion of Rafah, a southern city in Gaza that is currently home to more than a million Palestinians who fled other parts of the Gaza Strip during Israel's war with Hamas. Ricketts defended Israel's actions, claiming the Jewish country was being cautious about avoiding civilian deaths.

"There's 4 or 5 [Hamas] battalions left in Rafah," Ricketts said. "They all have to be destroyed. The leadership needs to be killed. And frankly, Israel is doing more than any nation I can think of as far as trying to avoid civilian casualties."

Biden's decision to withhold offensive aid from Israel has drawn widespread criticism, including from the House Oversight Committee, which is launching an investigation to see if the president has violated the law. Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has requested a congressional briefing from the White House National Security Council in addition to communications and other documents related to the discussions about pausing any kind of aid to Israel.

Ricketts also compared the current conflict with Hamas to Biden's handling of Afghanistan, saying he was "absolutely mismanaging this" too. He said, "The idea that we would cut off military aid to an ally, our only true, true ally in the entire region, is absolutely preposterous. It's just beyond my comprehension that anyone would do that."

Former President Trump and several of his supporters in Congress have accused Biden of initiating a quid pro quo with Israel, conditioning or withholding aid to change its foreign policy. Trump was impeached for threatening to withhold money from Ukraine, although the funding was ultimately not withheld.

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.