Report: Biden Administration Caught Funding Hamas-Linked Group Just Before War in Israel
- October 14, 2023
Jeff Charles, Red State
The Biden administration reportedly sent tens of thousands of dollars to an organization with clear ties to Hamas just weeks before it launched a surprise attack against Israel that started the current war in the region. The news comes as Israel continues its offensive in the Gaza Strip, and after reports suggesting that the State Department may have indirectly funded the terrorist group despite warnings from government officials.
This development comes months after another report suggested the Biden administration may have given funding directly to Hamas despite warnings coming from government officials.
“We assess there is a high risk Hamas could potentially derive indirect, unintentional benefit from U.S. assistance to Gaza. There is less but still some risk U.S. assistance would benefit other designated groups,” the State Department wrote in a draft sanctions exemption request circulated internally in March 2021, shortly after Biden took office. “Notwithstanding this risk, State believes it is in our national security interest to provide assistance in the West Bank and Gaza to support the foreign policy objectives.”
The documents—obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust—show the Biden administration was privately worried its efforts to restart Palestinian aid could benefit Hamas and other terror factions operating in the Gaza Strip. As officials publicly provided assurances to Congress and the press that this aid would be doled out “consistent with U.S. law,” the State Department was scrambling to secure a sanctions exemption that would let it skirt anti-terrorism laws.