Internet shreds Joe Biden as Mike Johnson reveals his threats to delay US weapons shipments to Israel

WASHINGTON, D.C.: House Speaker Mike Johnson implied that he felt misled by President Joe Biden's threat to block US arms shipments to Israel, and he hoped that the comment could be attributed to a "senior moment."

Per the New York Post, Mike Johnson (R-La) stated in a forthcoming episode of Politico‘s ‘Playbook Deep Dive’ podcast, “I hope — I believe he’s off script.”

The House GOP Speaker continued, “I don’t think that’s something that staff told him to say. I hope it’s a senior moment, because that would be a great deviation in what is said to be the policy there.”

What did Joe Biden say to prompt such comment from Speaker  Mike Johnson?

President Joe Biden expressed concerns over the increasing number of civilian casualties in Israel's war against Hamas.

During an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett on Wednesday night, the 81-year-old Commander-in-Chief stated that the US would halt the shipment of munitions to Israel if it invaded Rafah, a densely populated city in southern Gaza.

Biden stated when pressed on the US shipment of weapons, “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers.”

“It’s just wrong. We’re not gonna — we’re not gonna supply the weapons and artillery shells used,” the Democrat statesman asserted.

Last month, House Speaker Mike Johnson collaborated with the Biden administration and House Democrats to pass a $95.3 billion aid package that will be used to provide aid to the war-torn nations of Ukraine and Israel, as well as for Taiwan’s defense.

However, several of Johnson's Republican colleagues, led by Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga), opposed the bill and attempted to remove him from his leadership position, which he has held since his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif) ousting in October of last year.

Despite the attempts to remove him from the post on Wednesday, House Speaker Johnson survived and spoke immediately after on the aforementioned podcast, revealing that he had heard reports of plans to slow weapons shipments to Israel even before Biden's CNN interview had taken place.

However, the Louisiana GOP representative said that he had been assured by Biden administration officials that the reports were inaccurate.

Mike Johnson shared his reaction to Joe Biden’s stance on Israel in the CNN interview, saying, “And my reaction honestly was: Wow, that is a complete turn from what I have been told even in, you know, recent hours.”

“I mean, 24 hours ago it was confirmed to me by top administration officials that the policy’s very different than what he stated there. So I hope that’s a senior moment,” he remarked.

Speaker Johnson expressed his disappointment with Biden's interview comments and considered them a betrayal.

According to Johnson, Biden's remarks contradicted the promises he made during their negotiations to secure the aid package's passing.

The White House had informed Johnson that the delayed shipments Biden referred to were from "earlier weapons tranches" and had “nothing to do with the supplemental aid package that you all passed.”

Despite this explanation, Johnson still felt that Biden's statement was a breach of trust, given the political risks he had undertaken.

 

White House spokesman Andrew Bates said that Mike Johnson’s accusation of President Biden’s sudden shift in stance was “simply false.”

“Senior administration officials had already made multiple public statements about Rafah similar to the president’s, including that we are also ensuring Israel gets every dollar appropriated in the supplemental,” Bates claimed. “For example, hours before the President’s interview, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin gave congressional testimony that aligned with him.”

“To be fair, we understand the Speaker has a lot to keep up with,” he remarked, adding. “Joe Biden is the only president in our history to have ordered the American military to actively defend Israel from a foreign attack, and the only president to have literally stood with Israel – on Israeli soil – during wartime.”

Internet slams Mike Johnson for undermining Joe Biden's threats to delay US weapons shipments to Israel

One X user remarked, "Biden is a disgrace."

Another user said, "Biden stabbed Israel in the back for votes!"

Another user claimed, "delay implies israel will eventually receive them."

One user wrote, "Biden must be impeached for this betrayal to an ally."

Another X user quipped, "Wait, so Mike Johnson's a conservative again?"

Finally, this user tweeted, "Johnson is shocked Biden lied ? Johnson needs to be drug tested then."

 

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